Death of Gladys Gow

UCKFIELD residents are mourning the death of a woman whose influence is thought to have benefitted every organisation in the town at some stage during her life.

Gladys Gow was 87 when she died on Thursday last week and her funeral is due to take place at Holy Cross Church on Monday at noon to be followed by cremation at Worth.

She lived in Framfield Road for nearly 40 years before moving into Thornbury residential home in Hempstead Road two years ago. She had a fall about eight weeks ago and died at Uckfield Community Hospital.

Mrs Gow, whose husband Scottie died six years ago, was an Uckfield town councillor and a Wealden district councillor and is credited by former colleagues with having been one of a few people who fought against the old establishment to drag Uckfield into the 20th century.

'She helped us get the community centre, the Luxford Field, the swimming pool, the leisure centre and the cinema open on Sundays, said George Saunders, who was a town councillor with her.

'There is not an organisation in Uckfield that has not benefitted from her influence either directly or indirectly over the years.

'When Uckfield started to grow up from a little old backwater Gladys Gow used her great influence to help us get things we were entitled to but never thought we would get.

'She was the first woman councillor that, battling against prejudice of those days, became prominent in leadership of the town. Others came after her but not doing it in the same way as Gladys Gow - they are all linked with politics these days.

Former Uckfield mayor Mr Reg Gray said he remembered Mrs Gow as a generous woman who was involved with 15 different charities at one stage. In all the time she was a councillor she never claimed expenses and if she had to stay at a meeting over lunch she would hand over a cheque to cover the cost of her meal.

Mrs Frances Brown, a long- standing friend, said Mrs Gow was heavily involved in the allotment association, as secretary, treasurer and trading secretary, until about three years ago. As part of her work for charity she used to travel by bus to pick up RNLI collecting boxes from over a wide area, and she always had an RSPCA collecting box in her home and would collect for them in the town on flag days.

She was also heavily involved in the preservation society and its projects to renovate Bridge Cottage and Nutley windmill.

Mr Saunders also remembers her support for the Bonfire and Carnival Society and the building of Ridgewood Village Hall. 'It is impossible to list all the things she was involved with. She will be sadly missed in Uckfield, he said.