The Guardian published a tribute to Eleanor Stanier last month but it has only just appeared in the print edition where someone spotted it for us. It seems an obituary had previously appeared in The Telegraph, but I imagine fewer Lib Dems read that.
Eleanor was a longstanding member of Richmond and Twickenham Liberal Democrats. She represented Mortlake ward from 1997 and served as Mayor of Richmond upon Thames from 2001-2002. Eleanor expressed her commitment to community by serving on a variety of local bodies such as Richmond Housing Partnership, the East Sheen Society, Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Museum, Barnes and Mortlake History Society, as well as on the governing body of two schools. She ran a number of successful local campaigns including getting a new post office in East Sheen after one closed and opening an old air raid shelter.
To describe her, people have use terms like “hardworking”, “effective”, “indefatigable”, “formidable”, “warm”, “lively”, “energetic”, “idealistic” – she sounds like great company and I wish I had known her.
Our sympathy goes to Eleanor’s family and friends, along with apologies for not writing about her before.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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One Comment
Thank you Mary for posting this. Eleanor was all those things and a great community champion. I first met her when I did her by-election literature in 1997. She won easily that time, but thereafter became an escapologist. In 1998 over a middle of the night styrofoam coffee she was convinced she had lost but in fact got back by 60 votes (and topped the poll). In 2002 she wasn’t so lucky, but another by-election came up on a sweltering August day in the heatwave summer of 2003, which she won by 7. Eleanor wore her politics lightly, though that’s not to say she didn’t hold her views strongly, but she could get on with anyone and everyone. After we moved from Richmond Borough in 2011 to Cambridge we stayed in touch with Eleanor and Tom and a lunch or a supper remained an invite you always looked forward to. We shall miss her very much.