PICTURE AND TRIBUTES TO A COMMUNITY HERO
The funeral takes place next Tuesday (16th) of community hero Billy Lyon who died last week.
His family kindly supplied this picture taken at a family wedding.
The funeral service is at Carlisle Crematatorium at 12-20 pm.
Billy was a leading community worker and played a major part in getting support for suffering Riverside Housing Association tenants and leaseholders.
When everything else failed, Billy turned to the Bishop of Carlisle for help.
Help came from the bishop and Billy went on form a successful church-helped action group against Riverside,Carlisle`s biggest landlord.
His family kindly supplied this picture taken at a family wedding.
The funeral service is at Carlisle Crematatorium at 12-20 pm.
Billy was a leading community worker and played a major part in getting support for suffering Riverside Housing Association tenants and leaseholders.
When everything else failed, Billy turned to the Bishop of Carlisle for help.
Help came from the bishop and Billy went on form a successful church-helped action group against Riverside,Carlisle`s biggest landlord.
Billy was a leaseholder in a flat owned by Riverside
Housing Associaition which owns more than 6,000 homes, all former city council
houses.
Billy tried repeatedly for many months to get
repairs done to his flat in Sunnymeade, Upperby, Carlisle. He then discovered
there were many other desperate people in the city who had similar problems
with Riverside. And no-one could help them-neither councillors nor MPs.
Those community groups which tenants and
leaseholders turned to for help when the city owned the houses had all been
abolished by Riverside.
In desperation, Billy turned to the Church of
England and contacted the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt. Rev. James Newcome. The
bishop could give no direct help but put Billy in touch with the Carlisle
Cathedral authorities.
Working with those authorities, Billy invited
complaining tenants and leaseholders to a meeting in the cathedral close and an
action group, Cumbria Riverside Action Group(CRAG) was formed two years ago. It is chaired by
Canon Michael Manley, the Cathedral
Missioner and Carlisle Rural Dean.
A city councillor and a county councillor joined
the group and political parties sent representatives. Representations
were made from the group to the city council and then on to Riverside. And the Liverpool-based association started to take notice.
Billy was a strong supporter of Carlisle Tenants`
and Residents` Federation, a community group. He helped the Federation at meetings
of Longtown Action for Heat which was formed by 60 angry tenants of Riverside who for four
winters were unable to afford to heat their homes.
Billy also did pioneering work in contacting
lawyers in other parts of the county, hoping to get help to bring legal action against Riverside.
A spokesman for the Federation said today:” Billy was a true community hero and also a pioneer in efforts to support his fellow leaseholders
and tenants.
“Billy realised that Riverside was untouchable and accountable to no one.So no one could help
him.Undetered, Billy attempted to get
legal action started against them. But without
a lot of money he could do very little. So he turned to the church who
gave him what help they could. He was very grateful for this help.
“Fortunately, the group that he helped to form,
Cumbria Riverside Action Group has had some success. At last, and after the 14 years since Riverside took over
the city council houses the message is starting get through to them.It was a
real breakthrough, all thanks to Billy”
Billy was 68, and a retired factory worker. He had
been suffering from cancer for some time.
Issued by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation
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