Madam Mayor,

I would like to say a few words in tribute to an outstanding former Mayoress of Oldham and Mayoress of Peace, Di Heffernan, who very sadly passed away recently.

Di was the widow of my dear friend, Derek Heffernan.

Di was born in Bristol, the eldest daughter of a pub landlord and landlady.  Sadly, her father was killed in a road accident immediately prior to the outbreak of the Second World War and Di helped her mother with bringing up her younger brother.

In 1949, Di moved to Liverpool when her mother remarried.

She worked for several companies; her last situation being Personal Secretary to the Personnel Director of Lewis Limited, where in 1964 she met her future husband Derek, who was a Department Manager at the Liverpool store.

Di and Derek married in 1968 and lived in Thornton, Crosby.  They adopted two children, Sara in 1970 and Andrew in 1972. Whilst Di led on the home front, as a full-time mum, Derek left retail and eventually joined HM Customs & Excise.  They moved to Austerlands in 1974.

Di was a staunch supporter of her local Church, whilst Derek ultimately entered local politics.  Both Di and Derek had a decades-long history of fundraising, particularly for Saddleworth Fundraising Group of Macmillan Cancer Support, which started in 2000.

Legendary indeed were their bacon butty and coffee mornings, tapas nights and car boot sales.

Di also served on the Saddleworth Parish Council Chairman’s Charity over 30 years, and on the Oldham Mayor’s Appeal Committee for over 20. 

Di served as Saddleworth’s Chairman’s Lady twice, in 1992-93 and again during the Millennium 1999-2000, working with her Chairman husband to raise thousands of pounds for local charities, and as Mayoress of Oldham from 2016-2017, raising money for her husband’s Mayoral Charities, the Francis House Children’s Hospice and MacMillan’s.

In recognition of her prestigious fund-raising efforts, Di was nominated for the ‘Pride of Oldham’ award, and was the winner of the very prestigious award, ‘Woman of Oldham in 2008’ and ‘Volunteer of Saddleworth’ in 2012, but she took equal pride in her roles as wife, mother, and grandmother.

When Derek became Mayor in May 2016, he made it clear in his acceptance speech that he wanted to be known as Oldham’s Mayor of Peace.

As Mayor and Mayoress of Peace, Derek and Di shared a passion to promote peace and they went to many schools and functions together especially to promote the Pledge to Peace, as Oldham Council had become the first local authority in the UK to sign this initiative.

I know that Di and Derek were especially delighted to be able to attend a special assembly at Knowsley Junior School in Springhead with the then-Youth Mayor, where the school signed the Pledge to Peace, becoming the first of 17 schools to do so during Di and Derek’s Mayoral Year.  See picture above.

The school was of especial significance to them both, as their two children attended as pupils and Derek served as Chair of Governors there for many years.

Di loved being by Derek’s side as the Mayoress, and especially meeting the school children and their teachers, but sadly, not six months into the Mayoralty, Di suffered a serious fall whilst on holiday with Derek and was unable thereafter to join her husband at functions.

Despite this Di remained a constant source of moral and emotional support to Derek in the remaining days of his Mayoralty.

Di and Derek will both be greatly missed, by their family, their many friends and the many people across Oldham’s communities and elsewhere who held them, and still hold them, in high regard.

Their legacy in working for peace will not be forgotten, nor will it be neglected.

The Oldham Pledge to Peace Forum, of which Derek was Chair, continues to function and as we move into 2021, and as the restrictions on public gatherings that have accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic are loosened, there are plans to organise some special events at which Di and Derek will be properly, and fondly, remembered as Oldham’s Mayoral peacemakers.

Thanks, Madame Mayor.

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Oldham Council.