Tributes paid to "extremely thoughtful and kind" councillor from Holywell

After serving the community of Greenfield on the town council in Holywell for several years, Cllr Kenny Roberts sadly died on March 24.

He leaves behind a loving wife Beryl who says: “Ken loved his family. He was a great family man, his grandchildren adored him. He would always encourage them and remind them that life is for living.

“I will miss him so much. He was always there for me and never allowed me to get down – said it was a waste of life.”

Members of the council also issued a post outlining some of the 79-year-old’s achievements during his time in the position.

Appointed in 2008, Kenny served the Greenfield area as a town councillor for many years – campaigning for change to better the community that he called home.

A council spokesman said: “Many people remember Kenny as a family man, a builder, a musician, but his passion for Greenfield community and the work he did is not so well known.

“Kenny had a great passion for Greenfield, he was a local councillor, community first responder, founding member and latterly chair of the Greenfield Residents Association and Trustee on the Greenfield Valley Trust.”

Kenny was closely involved with a number of projects to improve the part of Holywell he called home including the flower boxes and hanging baskets erected across the flats and shops on Greenfield Road with the Greenfield Residents Association.

Kenny, along with the group, also raised funds for the Christmas light on Holy Trinity Church, entertaining at the New Year community parties and the development of the new road outside the shops to name a few.

The council spokesman adds: “He was particularly saddened by the lack of support in recent years for the garden on school lane which he worked hard to develop and right up to his death would have liked the council to assist the community regenerate the garden.

“He frequently pointed out he lived in the area, had family on the street and knew, contrary to some small but vocal minority of views, how important the garden was to local people.”

The two main community issues of which he was most proud of were road safety on Greenfield Road and the purchase of defibrillators for the local community.

Kenny campaigned vigorously for a speed sign on Greenfield Road and it is thanks to his tenacity and constant lobbying the two flashing speed signs are in place – one at the bottom of the Well Hill and the other at the entrance of Tan-Y-Felin estate.

It is also thanks to his focus on speeding at Greenfield Road that he alerted Holywell Council to proposals to increase the speed limit from 30 to 40 miles per hour.

He argued the road was too narrow at Bryn Celyn area, had too many bad bends which school children and families with prams have to navigate daily and also the number of hidden access roads for it to be safe to raise the limit – which thanks to him remains at 30mph to this day.

The council spokesman said: “The role of a community first responder for Greenfield was one Kenny adopted enthusiastically taking it upon himself to raise funds to buy defibrillators when they were not as available as they are today.

“In the week before his death, one of Kenny’s last community acts was to donate two defibrillators on behalf of the Residents association. The first to the Holy Trinity Church who cover the Greenfield area and the second to St Winefride’s Catholic Primary School in Holywell.

"The school in Greenfield had a defibrillator and when Kenny heard how many Greenfield children attend St Winefride’s he thought they too should be provided with a defibrillator.”

Sadly, he died a few days after the defibrillator was presented to the school.

Kenny was also said to have passion for wildlife and the environment – which was the reason he became a Trustee at Greenfield Valley.

“He walked those paths daily for many years and frequently voiced his support to keep all the Valley paths open to the public,” the council spokesman told the Leader.

“He held a lifetime’s passion for all the birds, animals and plants in the Valley and was keenly aware and a supporter of the special wildlife in the pools, so much so that on a number of occasions Kenny spent his own money hiring specialists to gain support and strengthen his argument for the protection of specific trees and wildlife in the area.”

The current mayor of Holywell, Cllr Lynda Carter, added: “I was privileged to know and serve with Kenny at Holywell Town Council. I found him to be an extremely thoughtful and kind person, who happily supported me when I first joined the council.

“He worked hard for and cared passionately about his Greenfield ward. I know he will be sorely missed by all the councillors and staff and it was an honour to serve with him.”