Mansfield stalwarts honoured for 'going the extra mile’ to help others

Geoff Waller was presented with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship by Mansfield Rotary at its latest meeting at Mansfield Museum.

Mr Waller is known in the area for his role as director of leisure services at Mansfield Council in the mid-1980s, having previously held a similar position in local government at Ipswich.

During his time at Mansfield Council, he played a significant role in bringing major events to the area, including The Mansfield Show, which was held for five years towards the end of the 1980s.

Mr Waller, a former member of Mansfield Rotary, also helped to pull off a major coup for the town and put it the global map when Miss World contestants visited Mansfield for a day’s filming and glamorous lunchtime event at the Civic Centre hosted by Julia Morley, head of the Miss World Organisation.

In a speech to Rotarians ahead of the presentation by president Karen Johnson, Rotarian Stewart Rickersey said: “I first met Geoff when he moved to Mansfield to become the director of leisure services at Mansfield Council.

“He had previously been in a similar role at Ipswich and prior to that in the RAF as a physical training instructor which is where he met his wife Iris.

“The Mansfield Show which ran for five years at the end of the 80’s was a prime example of how Geoff got the council behind things.”

Mr Waller and his wife, who died in July, moved to Devon following his retirement from the council, where he became secretary of Honiton Rotary.

The couple later returned to Mansfield to be closer to their two sons and grandchildren, and, because of his sporting and leisure background, he became the East Midlands representative for Sport England.

Mr Waller is also a member of the Armchair Club in Mansfield, helping to raise nearly £300,000 to support local sportsmen and women and sports organisations and clubs, and was chairman of the Mansfield District Leisure Trust for six years before stepping down last year.

Meanwhile, David Edwards was also presented with the prestigious fellowship at Mansfield Rotary’s 94th Charter Night.

He has served as a cameraman for Mansfield annual Junior Showtime talent competition for more than 25 years, “out of the goodness of his heart”.

Rotarian Paul Bacon said: “He is a special person who deserves the fellowship.

“He does thing for others with such generosity and kindness because he’s that sort of person.

“He also organises travel for lots of people for nothing. He’s like a private, unfunded travel agent for lots of elderly, walking and line dancing groups, as well as the Polish club, for which he even learned Polish.

“He does all of this to ensure people have a better quality of life. He’s worked for 10 years as a Samaritan and has no doubt saved the lives of many Mansfield people who have suffered from anxiety and depression.”

Previous fellowship recipients include swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who won two gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, and Pamela Cook, founder of the town’s internationally-acclaimed choir, Cantamus.