Jonathan Burns remembered by fellow North Middleton councillors

Jonathan Burns

Former Middleton North councillor, Jonathan Burns who died on Friday (23 January) has been remembered by fellow Middleton North councillors in a touching tribute.

Paying tribute to their former colleague, Middleton North councillors Pat Greenall, Alan Godson and Chris Furlong described hearing the news as “great sadness” and described Jonathan as a “selfless person who always seemed to care more about others than he did himself”.

Speaking about Jonathan, the councillors said: “It was with great sadness that we found out on Friday that ex-North Middleton councillor Jonathan Burns passed away.

"Jonathan lived in Middleton all of his life and attended Queen Elizabeth School. He gained qualifications in Media and Youth and Community Work and used them in Middleton to their full potential.

“He helped set up the Middleton Crisis Support Centre, he helped out at the Demesne Centre where he was also a director of a community media organisation and last July he helped organise the Touch Look Check Breast Screen Campaign event in the centre of Middleton.

“Previously he had started his own radio station and only in the last few weeks, he was promoting free courses for people across Middleton. He had also been a governor of Boarshaw Primary School and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. He worked to re-establish a weekly volunteer led luncheon club at Stanycliffe Social Centre following the closure of the previous service and he had been an active youth and community worker.

"These are just a few of the many, many things Jonathan did for the people of Middleton - there are too many to mention.

“In 2007 he became the youngest councillor on Rochdale Council by winning a by-election for the North Middleton ward. Whilst a councillor for North Middleton he was the Vice Chairman of Middleton Township, Chairman of Middleton Township Planning sub-committee, Chairman of Middleton Cultural Working Party and a member of the sub-committee of Regeneration, Culture and Environment.

"He took representing the ward seriously and was a very active councillor for his constituents.

"He was a proud Labour member and would campaign in any ward that needed it. All three current Labour councillors are deep in debt to Jonathan for his selfless campaigning on their behalf.

“The local Labour Party has lost another of its finest.

“He was a selfless person who always seemed to care more about others than he did himself. Always thinking of the next project to help people in his community and always looking after other people whether he knew them personally or not.

“In such a short time Jonathan managed to do more and help more people out than most people would do in their entire lifetime.

"He will be sadly missed by so many as a colleague, youth worker and pillar of the community but most of all he was a great friend to so many people.

“To those that have known him and for the community of Middleton it will be an immense loss. RIP Jonathan, you will be very sadly missed.”

http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/93833/former-middleton-councillor-jonathan-burns-dies