HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a community hero dubbed ‘Mr Blacon’ who has died after a short illness.
Joe Rose, 87, dedicated more than five decades of his life trying to improve the lives of the people of Blacon and met Prince Charles during a royal visit to the Chester estate.
Friends and colleagues have paid a number of tributes to the man who was described as a ‘true gentleman’.
‘Joe was a very special man who fought strongly for social justice’
A COMMUNITY has united in grief following the death of ‘Mr Blacon’, Joe Rose, a tireless campaigner who dedicated his life to improving the Chester estate where he lived for more than five decades.
Tributes have flooded in for the former councillor and stalwart volunteer who died peacefully yesterday after a period of ill health. He was 87.
Leading the tributes were colleagues and close friends from the Blacon Community Trust, formerly the Blacon Project, where Joe served as chairman for almost three decades, as well as championing numerous voluntary roles for which he was held in great esteem and affection.
Judith Selwood, Blacon Community Trust Manager, said: “Joe was an extremely inspirational man. He was passionate about Blacon and his heart and soul was all about working together as a team to improve life in Blacon. This is what Joe stood for. He was a wonderful man and we shall miss him very dearly. His legacy will live on through continued work to make a difference in Blacon in the future.”
Colleague Morag Calder, treasurer for the Blacon Community Trust, said: “Joe was a wonderful man, one of a kind. You don’t meet many like him, he will be greatly remembered and sadly missed. He was devoted to the community of Blacon.”
Family, friends and councillors – among them former Chester MP Christine Russell – remembered Joe with great fondness, describing him as a ‘giant amongst men’, someone with an ‘infectious personality’ who will always be remembered for his, passion, strength of character, warmth, and unwavering commitment to making a difference for the people in Blacon.
Joe, who worked on the railways during the 1940s and became involved in the trade union movement in Saltney in the 1950s, said he started social work because he learnt what it meant to help others. He would later go on to start his lifelong love affair with Blacon, joining the then Blacon Project in 1987.
Testament to Joe’s dedication to helping others in Blacon, came when in 2005, two streets were named after him on the estate he proudly called home for 55 years.
Joe was to witness many other proud moments in his life not least when he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Voluntary award on behalf of Blacon, together with fellow veteran volunteer Etty Thompson and then Chester MP Christine Russell, and more recently when he shared a cup of tea with the Prince of Wales on his visit to the Blacon Community Trust headquarters. Joe later described the visit as ‘a moment beyond his wildest dreams for Blacon’.
Blacon Councillor Reggie Jones worked alongside Joe when he was Reggie’s line manager and later when both men campaigned for change in Blacon.
He said: “Joe was a very special man who comes from a generation who fought strongly for social justice. All of those who were privileged to have known Joe can reflect on his commitment to improving the quality of life for everybody in Blacon.
“Joe always believed in his community and there was always hope, always that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the belief that something could always be done to improve quality of life. He was a giant amongst men and will be sadly missed.”
Mrs Russell said: “As a committed chairman of Blacon Community Trust for many years, Joe Rose was a great champion for Blacon. He was a wonderful man who always wanted the best for the community he loved and where he had lived for over fifty years. Even when his health was failing in recent years Joe would pull out all the stops to get to his desk at the Blacon Community Trust.
“Joe was a quiet, modest man who put dogged persistence in to ensuring the best for his community. He made the council and the police and other public bodies sit up, take notice and respond to people’s concerns such as community safety and the need for better children’s and young people’s services. I have very fond memories of Joe from when I accompanied him to have tea at the House of Commons after he received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee award for Voluntary Services on behalf of Blacon. He was so proud of Blacon’s achievements in winning this prestigious award.
“I will always cherish my memories of Joe and the people of Blacon will remember him as a remarkable man.”
His funeral will take place, 12.30pm on September 24, at Holy Trinity Church, Norris Road, Blacon.