Dr. Len Groves

In December (2005)the village mourned the sudden death of Dr. Len Groves, 78, who for nearly 50 years was involved in many village activities. The church was full for his funeral at Christ Church, where he was a member of the Parochial Church Council for many years, & a Churchwarden. Canon Paul Peverell, said, “Len was a person we respected as a gentleman & a gentle man, who was always the same, always welcoming, always courteous & always with an interest in you”.

Len was a Geordie & very proud of it, attending the Royal Grammar School & taking a first degree, then a PhD, in chemistry at Kings College, Newcastle. He joined ICI to do research in Manchester, where he met Joan, also working at ICI & they married in 1952. Len joined ICI on Teesside in the late 1950s & moved to Ayton, soon becoming active in the local community as Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, School Governor, & Secretary of the local Scout Group, besides his church duties.

In 1979 he was elected to the Parish Council, always re-elected, & 5 times Chairman. Elected to Hambleton D.C. in 1983, retiring at the last election in 2003, he was Chairman in 1994-5, & a Cabinet Member. Highly respected by all his colleagues, he is remembered with great affection & many councillors & council officers, past & present, & past Chairmen of Richmondshire & Selby, attended his funeral. Cllr June Imeson & Len often laughed at her description, for the Stream, of their respective duties when Ayton simultaneously provided the Chairman (Len) & Leader (June) of HDC: she had concluded that Len got the sherry and she got the blame! Civic duties were not just attending meetings, but resolving local issues with residents & officials – often slow, controversial & difficult, but Len was diligent, and his gentle, fair-minded and peace-making approach calmed many difficult situations.

He assisted the inauguration of the Twinning Association – & became an active member! Len & Joan both joined the new Archaeology Project & he researched much of the information about the name & literary associations of Roseberry Topping for the book to be published soon. Len was Treasurer of the Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum, Chairman of the local Conservative Association, Committee Member of the Friends of Gt. Ayton Health Centre, and a Friend of Durham Cathedral. Heart surgery in 1983 & ’93, didn’t stop him – until very recently he regularly climbed Roseberry to keep fit!

Canon Peverell said that it was as a family man that Len excelled. He & Joan had 3 children: Michael, Caroline & Ian (now a Western Buddhist, named Paramabandhu) & 5 grandchildren. They all spoke with love & respect for the way he had lived, the hobbies they had shared with him & the valuable things he had encouraged & inspired them to do, in particular the many family gatherings & holidays they had enjoyed together. The grandchildren felt incredibly lucky & privileged to have had a Grandfather like Len for such a long time as he was always so interested and involved in all aspects of their lives.

Canon Peverell concluded, “There is much in our picture of Len’s life of love, time, & service given to his family, his friends and the whole community; a life sustained by his Christian faith and beliefs that showed in practical acts, not just in reciting creeds”.

Canon Peverell, Robert Lappin, June Imeson