We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jim Wingham, on behalf of the staff and the trustees of Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Agency I would like to express our condolences to his immediate family and members of the wider voluntary sector, many of whom knew Jim well.
Jim was our longest serving trustee, having joined the board in 2006. Jim was generous with his time and often popped into the office to catch up with the team and share a tale with us even when his health was starting to deteriorate. My own recollection is that Jim was a real character whom I met in the 1980s. I was a social worker and Jim, for almost twenty years, was a Unit Leader in Farndale Remand Unit dealing with very troubled boys. I, like no doubt hundreds of people who met Jim, didn’t forget him and he didn’t forget them.
As the years have come and gone, I saw Jim from time to time. Several years ago I was drawn into a meeting at a local charity, RCVDA, and Jim persuaded me to join the Board – and later to become Chair. He had a passion about people, supporting those with needs and always ready to challenge those in authority to get things done.
He was a cornerstone of Saltburn as a place and a community, so it was no surprise that he wrote a book – ‘researched, written and photographed’ by him. As the BookCornerShop writes “Jim’s thesis appears, more or less, as it was first written; a personal investigation into the place he calls home and the private achievement of a lad who left school at the age of 15”.
He gave himself to many organisations, leading the Parish Council, Chairing the Cleveland Local Councils Association and thus working with the National Association of Local Councils. He truly believed in his area and was Chair for some 26 years of the Saltburn Gill Action Group as well as supporting of the Redcar and Cleveland Credit Union Development Agency for over 10 years.
He was not well for some time, but continued his voluntary work, battling with technology during Covid and continuing to support RCVDA as passionately as ever. He will be greatly missed by so many.
Wade Tovey MBE TD MSc
Chair RCVDA