Tribute paid as three times mayor of Carnforth passes away

Coun Roe was Town Mayor of Carnforth on three separate occasions in 2006/2007, 2013/2014 and 2018/2019 and served the town a for a total of 33 years.

His three decades of service began after he raised a matter with late Coun Edna Jones, who told him to stand for the council if he felt so strongly about it - and he did.

There have been many memorable moments in that time but Coun Roe often said that his most cherished memories were accompanying the late Coun Pat Wooff – when she was Town Mayor – to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen, and leading the 2018 Remembrance Sunday Parade as Town Mayor himself, which marked the centenary of the First World War ending and was Carnforth’s biggest and best-attended civic ceremony at the time.

The former publican of the Shovel Inn worked tirelessly to keep Carnforth town assets when local government was reorganised in 1974, including Carnforth Civic Hall, the Carnforth (Highfield) allotments and the council offices.

Bob also managed to secure the return of the war memorial and gardens to the town’s guardianship, which will be the centre of the forthcoming celebrations on November 9, marking 100 years since memorial was unveiled.

Current Town Mayor Coun Elizabeth Jones said: “Bob was Carnforth through and through with a vast knowledge of the town’s history and community. He leaves a huge whole to fill on the council.”

At the time of writing, no information on Coun Roe’s funeral was available.