Double the celebration (From Free Press Series)

Double the celebration

LESS than an hour after becoming a town councillor, an Abergavenny man found himself elected as the mayor.

Cllr Chris Woodhouse made history as the first member of Abergavenny town council to be elected at his inaugural meeting.

He was elected unopposed at the recent council elections, and was re-elected for a second term as the member for Monmouthshire County Council in the same ward. He is now cabinet member for the environment.

Cllr Woodhouse was born in Abergavenny and started work as a student nurse at the former Penyfal Hospital after eight years in the catering industry.

He quickly got promoted and from 1975 until his early retirement in 1993 he was senior nursing officer for the hospital and community.

A magistrate since 1991, he has been very involved in the life of Abergavenny, as a member of the Gateway Club for 30 years.

He was also instrumental, with others, in setting up junior soccer for Abergavenny Thursdays FC on Lower Meadow, and helped organise tournaments with Abergavenny's twin town Oestringen for more than 20 years.

His wife Sheila is a self-employed Post Office manager. They will be installed as mayor and mayoress on July 19.