Death of former Mayor Celia Jordan

FORMER Mayor of Warrington Celia Jordan has sadly died after a short illness.

She was a long-serving Cllr in the local community, only recently retiring after 40 years as parish Cllr in Stockton Heath.

Her son Tim said: “As a family, we were all devastated by the passing of our Mum/mother-in-law/grandma Celia earlier this week, after a short illness, aged 90.

“She was known to many people in Warrington and had served as a Warrington borough councillor for 38 years, a parish councillor for over 40 years (having retired only last month) and as mayor in 2007/8.
Amongst other things, she was also formerly chair and trustee of St. Rocco’s Hospice, President of the National Association of Governors and Managers, and President of Warrington Liberal Democrats.
It speaks volumes that the MBE she was awarded was for services to the people of Warrington.

“We have been touched by the many tributes we have received already many from people some of whom she had met only once or twice. One lovely one this morning said “What a woman – now I understand the statement “a life well lived”. She must have helped and touched the hearts of thousands of people and made a proper difference to the community.”

Tim added: “She had a wonderful gift of being able to reach out to people and understand them through empathy. She often brought people together to support a common cause and in doing so she helped achieve great things.
“We will miss her terribly but she leaves a great legacy and will long be remembered.”

As well as her services as a Cllr., Celia was also a passionate campaigner for a new theatre in the town.

Celia Jordan is pictured above at Buckingham Palace on the day she received her MBE from the Queen.

Meanwhile, Local Liberal Democrats are also greatly saddened by the loss of Celia Jodan.

She was a founder member of the SDP and was the President of Warrington Liberal Democrats. For many years she served as a Borough and Parish Councillor in Stockton Heath and only stepped down from the Parish Council this May. She did a huge amount for Stockton Heath and will be greatly missed by everyone there.

Former Council Leader Councillor Ian Marks said, “My wife Pam and I have known Celia for well over forty years. She was a good friend to us both and could always be relied upon to give sound advice if we asked her a question. She was an outstanding member of the community and served the people well through both her Borough and Parish Councillor roles and her other charitable interests. She had been such an asset to the Party and was a great model for our new councillors to follow.”

Former Council Group Leader Bob Barr added: “I knew Celia from 2006 when I was first elected. She was a friend and a mentor, to me as a new councillor. She took very well to her role as First Citizen when she became Mayor in 2007 and she spent the rest of her council career as a campaigner for charities and projects such as a theatre for Warrington. Celia was much more comfortable as a people’s champion than with the cut and thrust of party politics. We need to follow her example.”

“I have known and been a friend and colleague of Celia for more than 50 years.” said retired Councillor Judith Walker. “We served together on both Stockton Heath Parish and Warrington Borough Councils. Celia was always at the heart of campaigns to improve the environment in Stockton Heath. She was the driving force behind the refurbishment of the Village centre in the 1990’s and later played an active part in the group that established the Stockton Heath Festival. She was an inspiration to us all and will be greatly missed”.