Tributes to former Mayor

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former two-time mayor of Henley, described as a “tour de force”.

Elizabeth Hodgkin passed away on Sunday, October 19 at the age of 74.

She was first elected as a town councillor for Henley Residents Group in 2003 and served 12 years on Henley Town Council, including two terms as Mayor in 2009/10 and 2012/13. From 2010 to 2015, she also represented the town on South Oxfordshire District Council and was awarded the town medal in 2019 recognition of her “above and beyond” service to Henley.

She was a member of a large and varied number of community organisations including Henley and Bloom, the Over-60s Club, Thamesfield Youth Association, Henley Educational Charity, Henley Municipal Charities and Nomad.

Ms Hodgkin helped establish the “Gardening Buddies” volunteer group, which helps to care for the town’s green spaces, was part of a major fundraising effort for a new building at the Eyot Centre and campaigned for the new Henley Skatepark.

She also helped oversee the town’s twinning with Bled in Slovenia, which occurred during her year as Mayor in 2013, and met the late Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Henley the year before.

Mrs Hodgkin’s other roles included serving as a churchwarden at Rotherfield Greys Church and, as a great lover of music, running the town’s choir festival for a number of years.

Mrs Hodgkin died peacefully, surrounded by her children, Peter, Christopher and Sarah and daughter-in-law Rebecca.

Her death comes the year after the passing of her husband Richard, whom she was married to for 51 years. Their son, Andrew, predeceased her.

Tributes have come in from fellow councillors and organisations that Mrs Hodgkin supported throughout her life and civic service.

A statement from Henley Town Council described Ms Hodgkin as “a dedicated public servant and cherished community volunteer”.

It said: “Liz combined civic leadership with community activism, always emphasising the value of collaboration and local engagement.

“Her legacy continues in the many volunteer-driven initiatives she helped to foster and the strengthened ties across Henley’s charitable and civic organisations.”

Councillor Gill Dodds worked with Mrs Hodgkin on the council for a number of years. Mrs Hodgkin was also Cllr Dodd’s deputy in 2008 while she was mayor.

Cllr Dodds said: “With Liz she wasn’t just on a committee, she was very active on that committee.

“It was a pleasure to work on projects with her, the skate park was a great achievement and our work together on the Over-60s Club and our fabulous new kitchen.” Cllr Dodds recalled Mrs Hodgkin talking fondly of her four children and five grandchildren.

“She talked so proudly of their lives and achievements,” she said. “Liz totally supported her husband Richard with the work he did in the community, the Handybus, the Talking Newspaper and the Henley Lions.

“The last few years have been difficult for Liz. Not only was she herself unwell but she lost her life-long partner Richard and then tragically last year her beloved son Andrew.

“You packed so much into your life, Liz. If ever there was a life well lived, it was yours.”

Mrs Hodgkin was also instrumental in helping to source funds for a £600,000 rebuild of the Eyot Centre in 2008.

She first got involved with the centre in Wargrave Road after volunteering with the canoe section.

The centre’s committee said Mrs Hodgkin was fondly remembered.

In a statement, it said: “As a Thamesfield trustee and guardian angel of the Eyot Centre, she could always be relied upon for sage counsel when issues arose.

“With an extraordinary knowledge of our constitution, and a passion for the young people supported by our DofE, canoe and kayak clubs, described as a human dynamo, she was hands-on in many local matters, though always had time for us.

“Liz was at the forefront of supporting our projects. She championed a significant grant and loan application from the town council for the Eyot Centre. This support enabled our clubhouse project to become a reality in the build of our beautiful building and frontage we have today.

“This summer, more than 1,100 children from all backgrounds participated in watersports activities here. An amazing lady who will be sadly missed but her legacy lives on at the Eyot Centre.”

Friend Clive Wilkinson knew Mrs Hodgkin for 25 years and served with her as a fellow trustee on the Thamesfield Youth Association.

He described her as an “exceptional woman” whom he would miss “deeply”.

Mr Wilkinson said: “My memories of Liz are of a truly lovely, kind, funny and wonderful person who was someone you could always depend on to get things done.

“Along with our fellow trustee Gill Dodds, the three of us worked together supporting many youth-focused projects around Henley.

“I always came away from our meetings with a sense of accomplishment and that was in no small part due to the gentle firmness and organisation that Liz contributed to our discussions and decisions.

“Walking around Henley with Liz was always a lovely experience, albeit a time-consuming one.

“Moving across Falaise Square, she would be stopped by many people for a chat and the conversations reflected her popularity and recognition of the enormous amount of work she did in her many public and charitable roles for Henley.”

Fellow town councillor Stefan Gawrysiak described Mrs Hodgkin as a “wonderful servant” to Henley and “magnificent ambassador” for the town.

He said: “In my early years as a town councillor Liz was the person who was always willing to help and give advice.

“Liz was a people person, just getting stuck into Henley life.  She served wonderfully on the council, diligently attending meetings and creating ideas for the town.

“Liz showed by example what is meant by public service to our community. With Richard, she was a tour de force for our town.”