Cllr William H Lewis, Mayor of Rugby

The town of Rugby in Warwickshire has appointed and inaugurated a New Mayor to serve the community.

A Congratulatory hand shake from the outgoing Mayor Cllr Tom Mahoney

William on the steps of the Rugby Town Hall after his Inauguration as Mayor

William on the steps of the Rugby Town Hall after his Inauguration as Mayor

Cllr William (Bill) Lewis, who hails from Resolven, moved to Rugby 50 years ago. He was married in 1970 where he set up home with his wife Susan and brought up two children, Richard and Rhea.

Richard who is extremely good at electronics and computers is always on hand to help with any technical problems that William might encounter and Rhea is now a fully qualified architect who has a fiancé Matt who is in demolition, making them a most interesting combination.

William attended Neath Grammar School and Swansea University and in 1964 graduated with a Civil Engineering degree. He worked for Civil Engineering Consultants for a total of 44 years, specialising in the design and construction of motorways, then of railway trackbed and the remediation of contaminated industrial sites.

Official Photograph by Jamie Gray (www,jamiegrayphotography.co.uk)

In 1966 he left Wales and moved from one Wales to another Wales, a small village in South Yorkshire called Wales Bar. It was in South Yorkshire that he met his wife Susan, who lived in a small mining village called Dinnington.

It was in February 1970 that William sustained a very serious accident when, due to icy conditions, he drove head first into an oncoming milk tanker. This resulted in a long stay in Cheltenham Hospital where he was treated for eight fractures of arms and legs. He spent five months in hospital and on the day he was discharged, he used the hospital as a qualifying address for a special licence to get married, using two witnesses off the street who happened to be passing at the time.

He first became a member of the Rugby Borough Council in May 2010.  Passionate about the environment, William worked tirelessly to establish the Rokeby Schools Joint Recycling Initiative, raising more than £130,000 for the schools and other local charities.

L to R: Hugh, Herbie, Eunice & William
(A long time ago)

Cllr Lewis was born and raised in Resolven in The Vale of Neath, where he first gained a sense of belonging and commitment to the community.  His parents, Eunice and Herbie Lewis and grandfather, William Rees were all Deacons in Jerusalem Chapel and were a well known and respected family in the village.

Several close relatives of the Lewis family were Founder Members of the Resolven Operatic Society which was an integral part of their village life for over 50 years until it was disbanded in the 1990’s.

William, during his ‘declaration of acceptance of office’ speech in the Council Chamber emphasised that his Resolven village upbringing in a bilingual Welsh/English family home has been a great influence on how his life has developed.

It is therefore, understandable that William has chosen ‘RESPECT’ as the theme of his year in office, which means being considerate, polite and thoughtful, and applies to how we treat each other, the communities we live in, and the environment we all share.

During his year, William (he is known as Bill in Rugby) has decided to support small local charities in the Rugby area – the Dementia Society (http://rugbydementiasupport.org.uk/), the Autism Network (http:/rugbyautismnetwork.co.uk/) and New Directions (http://newdirectionsrugby.org.uk/).

Richard, Susan, William & Rhea
Official Photo’ by Jamie Gray (www.jamiegrayphotography.co.uk)

He is proud and honoured to hold the office of Mayor of Rugby for 2019/20, particularly during the Rugby World Cup year. (https://www.world.rugby/halloffame)

The extended family with William & Susan
Official Photo’ by JamieGray (www.jamiegrayphotography.co.uk)

~ ~ ~

The RDN team, and particularly his brother Hugh send their Congratulations and good wishes for his year as Mayor and also to his wife Susan as the Mayoress.

~ ~ ~