Dedicated alderman reflects on half a lifetime of flying the flag for Wem

"If I see somebody I don't know, I say 'hello' or 'good morning'. A few people have even told me later that I was the first person who spoke to them in Wem," says the former councillor of 40 years.

As well as being a good neighbour, it's also her way of repaying her gratitude to all those who made her feel welcome when she first arrived in the town in 1976.

Her late husband Terry had been promoted to fire officer for North Shropshire when the couple and their four children moved to Wem from Shrewsbury.

"I remember the first event I attended was the firemen's Christmas do at the castle. The firemen and their wives were all so welcoming that I thought 'we'll be all right here'."

Little did Pauline know at the time that she would go on to represent the town at all levels of local government and have the honour of being mayor, not just once, but three times.

Although she had never dreamed about getting involved in local politics, when the opportunity to stand for the town council arose, she believed she could make a difference.

"In 1978, Wem was twinned with Fismes in France. There was a twinning visit to France and my husband wasn't able to go on. He said I could go in his place and he would look after the children.

"I got to know some of the town councillors and the mayor. When there was a vacancy on the town council, in 1981, I was persuaded to apply.

"I wrote a letter explaining that I had moved to Wem and I wanted to give something back to the town. Nobody else applied. I was the only female councillor - there were 11 men and me. I was 39 and the second youngest," explains Pauline.

At her first meeting, she alerted fellow councillors to a proposal to bring the bypass along Pyms Road having heard talk of it while accompanying her son Jonathan to a meeting of the Liberal Party.

"People had always wondered why the road was so wide. I told the council about the plan but they didn't know anything and neither did the county councillor.

"It was just ridiculous and would have been so dangerous. Luckily, the council were of the same mind and were able to get it stopped," she recalls.

Two years later, Pauline, who is originally from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, decided to stand as an independent member on North Shropshire District Council.

"People kept asking me about housing and environmental issues and I couldn't help them because they weren't the town council's responsibility.

"I was persuaded to stand for the district council. I didn't think I had a chance, but I won by 12 votes," she recalls.

In 1985, she became the town’s first female mayor and her year in office saw Wem become a focal point for the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Book.

This included the town featuring in a BBC documentary after it was discovered that two Wem families could trace their ancestry back to before the Norman Conquest.

"It was so exciting. Hundreds and hundreds of people turned out for it and lots of different groups got involved. They always do in Wem, one group doesn't have to do everything by themselves, other groups will always support them," says Pauline.

During her time on the district council, she served as chairman twice and served as president of the Shropshire Association of Local Councils, between 1998 and 2008, chairing many meetings on the county’s move to a unitary council system.

Pauline went on to win one of the two Wem seats on the newly-formed Shropshire Council in 2009 and became leader of the Independent group for Shropshire.

One of her proudest achievements as councillor has been boosting the town’s economy through the creation of Wem Economic Forum in 1994, driving forward improvements to the town centre and helping to develop major employment sites.

"Wem wasn’t in the Rural Development Area, so we were entitled to the grants that other towns in North Shropshire were.

"Through Wem Economic Forum we managed to get £1.3 million into the town from Advantage West Midlands and other European sources.

"There was a lot of house building going on and if you are going to get grant money, you need more houses, so we were able to tap into this.

"We invested in Wem Industrial Estate and we turned the old brewery site into Wem Business Park. We converted the premises above the shops into homes. The Economic Forum also gave grants to people who wanted to improve their businesses or set up new businesses," explains Pauline.

As councillor, she also travelled all over Europe, representing Shropshire and the UK in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, Local Government International Bureau and European Observatory for Crime Prevention.

In this role she was on committees for culture, education and social cohesion as well as one working to prevent the trafficking of women and children. "Hearing about what some of the victims had been through made me want to stand up for women and children," says Pauline.

In the early 2000s, her work also took her to Serbia and Moldova, where she took part in election observation sessions.

"These were some of the first democratic elections. People in Moldova were so excited about voting, we're quite blasé about it here. By 4.30pm, 95 per cent of the population had voted - I couldn't believe it. It was amazing," recalls Pauline, who was awarded the title of Alderman in 2009.

"As a councillor, I always felt I was an ambassador for Wem and North Shropshire. It was my job to tell people how good it was to live, work and invest here."

Two years ago, at the age of 80, Pauline retired from both Shropshire Council and Wem Town Council. The sudden death of her beloved husband, Terry, in November 2017, along with some recent health issues, meant she felt the time was right to step aside.

"It was a tough decision. Terry was always my sounding board and would help me with my leaflets. I found it harder to do without him. When I retired I got so many cards and messages from people in Wem, it was so lovely and meant so much to me."

At the same time, Pauline announced she would also step down as co-chair of Wem Youth Club alongside Sue Challis after more than 20 years' service to the organisation.

Over that time she has raised funds for a new club kitchen, roof, equipment and trips. "When you're a councillor, you can persuade people to donate their time, money or goods just by telling them the needs," she explains.

"It's good for things to change because it keeps things moving, The club is thriving now, we're leaving it in a good position," says Pauline, who received an Honorary Townsman Award from Wem Town Council in 2022.

She has also been a key member of Shropshire Scouts for more than 20 years in a variety of roles, including serving as president since 2006. Pauline is chairman of 1st Wem Scouts and vice-president of GirlGuiding Shropshire.

"It's exciting working with people looking after young people. They work so hard and they give these children such a good quality of life. I have always been interested in anything to do with young people. We need to look after our young people - they are our future.

"I was involved in the North Shropshire Furniture Scheme, the first of its kind in the county. We helped young people to set up their home and this was important to me because I remember how hard it was to make ends meet and survive on a fireman's wage," says Pauline, who is currently a governor at Whixall Primary School and a trustee of the Adams School Foundation.

In April this year, Pauline received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for ‘exemplary’ voluntary service to the community of Wem over 40 years.

It was presented by Shropshire’s Lord-Lieutenant Anna Turner at Wem Town Hall in front of members of her family and close friends.

Pauline, and fellow recipient Graham Furber, who was honoured for his dedication to the world of cricket and disability sport, asked for the presentation to be in Wem rather than at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury because of how much the town means to them.

Her four children - Jonathan, Jacqueline, Julian and Joanne - and nine grandchildren are all very proud of her achievement, she says.

"I was so delighted that it was for services to Wem and that somebody from Wem had put me forward. There is something very special about Wem.

"It would have been so lovely if my husband had still been here because he had helped me so much over the 40 years and so had my family.

"It was always a joke that as soon as we sat down for a meal as a family, someone would knock on the door or the phone would go. I would always go to see if someone needed help and my tea would go back in the oven," says Pauline.

In May, she was invited to a Coronation garden party at Buckingham Palace where she chatted to the Prince of Wales about his time stationed at RAF Shawbury.

"It was so lovely to meet Prince William. I told him that people still remember him coming into Wem and doing his shopping when he was at RAF Shawbury," she says.

Throughout her years of community work there has been one thing that has remained unchanged - her desire to help people.

"It's always been about the people. It's nice to be able to help people and put a smile back on somebody's face because you've been able to help them. Sometimes, I couldn't help, if it was something out of my hands but I would always point them in the right direction to get the help they needed.

"I think people trusted me and that's why I kept getting re-elected. I could never have imagined everything that has happened over the 40 years. It's been amazing."