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It’s with great sadness that we have to share the news that our Chairperson of the Chirk Bank Community Group Angela Bright has peacefully passed away after a short illness on the 7 January 2022. Her drive and commitment to the community was always her focus. Angela was the inspiration for the allotment in 2011. Situated alongside the canal she raised the funds to turn what was a surplus piece of good ground into a hive of production. She had raised over £5,000 to set out the plots and furnished materials to fence off the area. The community garden, raised beds, and cladding to cover what was a sorry-looking toilet block abandoned by the Canal Trust was also provided. Over the years the allotment has been a blessing to many in adding produce to the table, offering a good workout and conversation. The community garden has provided a resting spot for the thousands of people that walk the canal to take in the views along this beautiful stretch of the World Heritage Site. In all she raised over £9,000 from trust and organisations for local use through the Chirk Bank Group.
Angela was one of those people who saw a need and made every effort to support and supply it. Her fund raising covered the local primary school, church building repairs, walking football and kids groups, ladies netball teams, knit and natter groups, and organising coach trips to the coast, cities and places of interest. She was never one to miss an opportunity for a raffle to support local needs. There will be a big hole left by this unique lady, though short in stature, big shoes to fill. Angela’s work as a local councillor can’t be overlooked in her dedication to standing up for the underdog and improving the Chirk Bank Community. Competitions for the best Christmas lights, or garden scarecrow generated a sense of fun. She enthusiastically drew local support with Craft Fares, Tea and Coffee Mornings and any other event that could raise even modest amounts for local charities. She was instrumental in working to encourage the establishment and distribution of a million pound Government ‘Big Local Grant’ to the three villages.
Without doubt Angela will be missed by all those near to her, family, friends, and colleges she leaves a lasting legacy that will endure in the community for years to come. We thank her for everything she has done for Chirk Bank, Weston Rhyn and the many charities and organisations that have benefited from her hard work and commitment.
Rob Morris has added his memories of Angela:
Lynda and I moved to Chirk Bank in 1977. It was Roddy, Angela’s husband that I got to know first because he used to walk their dog across the field where the new bungalows are now, off Telford Avenue. There was a community group for the village that use to meet in the ‘Trap’ and they were in the process of raising money for equipment for the playing field (it had nothing on it then). I went along to a few of these and this is where I met Angela. As a group they put on a fun/ sports day for Charles and Dianna wedding day in 1980. A firework night and another party for Andrew and Sarah’s wedding in 1984. I got to know Angela better during these events.
About 1983 I started to go to Chirk Bank Methodist Church when they stared family services and Angela used to attend there. She went on to be in the choir of about a dozen women led by Olive Dew. She always got involved in things in the village, plus the PTA at Weston Rhyn and St Martins schools, where we used to go to the dances they put on. When she got onto the Parish Council she was always looking to improve things for the village. In early 2000, she led the new community groups putting on events and trips and I was called on to help out. It has been a great pleasure to have been a friend and to have enjoyed her company over so many years.