A DEVOTED couple who have dedicated their lives to serving the community took time out for their very own special celebration.
Veteran councillor John Hudson and his wife Kathleen shared their diamond wedding anniversary with 100 friends at Uppermill Civic Hall.
Kathleen said: “It was a magical night with so many helping us celebrate.
“Thanks to our two wonderful daughters for sharing it with us and the Civic Hall staff who helped — we wanted to prove we are still here!”
John, who was 80 years old on Christmas Eve, has served as a Saddleworth Parish councillor for more than four decades and is also a borough councillor.
He received an OBE from the Queen for his public, political and charitable services.
He commented: “Mutual respect and understanding makes a great team. I’ve been lucky.
“You can’t make things work without it being a proper partnership. It’s been a joint effort and it doesn’t seem like 60 years.”
Kathleen said: “We had a very full life but going to Buckingham Palace and meeting the Queen when John received his OBE was certainly the icing on the cake.”
John was born in Mossley and worked at Joseph Clare’s Dyeworks in Greenfield during the 1950s where he met Kathleen, before moving to Greenfield when they married in 1960.
They have two daughters, Claire and Deborah, and one granddaughter, Courtney.
He worked in local government at Mossley, Audenshaw and Trafford Councils before managerial roles at Littlewoods, based at Earl Mill in Hathershaw.
He first entered local politics in 1971, initially standing as a Labour councillor. After a six-year break he switched to the Conservative Party and in 1977 was elected as a Saddleworth Parish councillor – a position he holds to this day.
John was also elected as representative for the former Saddleworth East ward on Oldham Council from 2002 to 2006 then from 2008 served as a Chadderton Central ward member before coming back to represent Saddleworth South from 2012 onwards.
He was also the agent for Geoffrey Dickens, the former MP for the (then) Littleborough and Saddleworth seat and stood in the high-profile three-way marginal by-election following Mr Dickens’ death in 1995.
John became Mayor of Oldham for the municipal year 2013-14 and, accompanied by Kathleen, visited local schools and engagements as well as putting on events, raising £50,468 for local charities and good causes.
In 2017, he received a special honour to mark 40 years’ continuous service on Saddleworth Parish Council, which is an unbeaten record for continuous service.
At the Civic Hall with upstairs rooms were renamed ‘The Hudson Suite’ in John’s honour with an engraved plaque and a framed dedication.
During his time on the Parish Council, he has served four spells as chairman, raising £59,500 for the chairman’s charities.
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