FORMER Mayor and Tenbury Town Council stalwart Tony Tudge's decision to stand down at the last elections brought an end to the civic career of a much-respected councillor.

Following in the footsteps of his father who became the first Mayor of Tenbury in 1974, Mr Tudge was elected councillor in 1983, himself becoming Mayor in 1993 and again in 1999.

Bombed out of London during the last war, his family found a place of safety at his grandmother's farm near Kidderminster. They later moved into Tenbury Wells where his father had originally served his apprenticeship as a gentleman's outfitter at Wheelers department store.

Thanking him for his loyalty to the town, the Mayor, Cllr Janice Gluyas, presented him with an engraved tankard and also cufflinks.

Mr Tudge said "I came to Tenbury like an asylum seeker looking for safety, and everyone was so good to us.

"To have been able to serve my community for 20 years has been a rewarding experience.

"But times are changine and I am looking forward to retiring quietly into the background and letting the younger members carry on."