Rod's love for community life

Tributes have been paid to a stalwart of Calderdale's allotment community following his death last month.
Halifax Courier Community Spirit Awards 2014 at Berties Ray Mackerill, left, and Rod Mellor.Halifax Courier Community Spirit Awards 2014 at Berties Ray Mackerill, left, and Rod Mellor.
Halifax Courier Community Spirit Awards 2014 at Berties Ray Mackerill, left, and Rod Mellor.

Roderick Mellor, 74, died suddenly at his home in Sowerby Bridge on April 28.

Mr Mellor was chair of the Allotments and Leisure Gardeners Federation in Calderdale for 12 years, having been a plot holder for more than 30 years.

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In that capacity, he worked with police in the borough to distribute money confiscated through the Proceeds of Crime Act. He worked tirelessly to help set up allotments across Calderdale, including Whitehill in Illingworth; Cemetery Fields, Sowerby Bridge; another in Boothtown and was also in the process of trying to get one running in Sowerby. Each year, with a team of others, he judged allotments.

Mr Mellor was also treasurer of the Wardens Gun Club, Sowerby Bridge, from 1989, and a member of the Sowerby Bridge Forum as vice chairman for seven years.

Mr Mellor’s wife Val said: “He was a Sowerby Bridge man through and through and its people were very close to his heart.”

He was also a member of the Patient Participation Panel at Station Road Surgery, Sowerby Bridge, and was passionate about helping a new surgery to be built.

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Mr Mellor founded the Pavilion in the Park youth club in 2004. It offered a range of activities to support young people and also ran holiday activity schemes.

In recognition for his dedicated work in the community, Mr Mellor received a Halifax Courier ‘Community Spirit’ award and an award from Calderdale Council for his outstanding contribution. He helping schools to set up gardens and also enjoyed distributing his fruit to Bairstow Mount, Sowerby Bridge, and to his neighbours.

He is survived by his wife Val, sons Andy and Sean, daughter-in-law Deb, grandchildren Sarah and Sam and great granchildren Jessica and Thomas.