A FORMER long-serving councillor and well-known member of the Wylam community is to be remembered in a thanksgiving service next week.

Philip Brooks, a former Tynedale District and Wylam Parish Councillor, died suddenly of a heart attack on June 10 at the age of 78.

Born in Suffolk, Philip initially trained as a pharmacist before switching to town planning.

He came to Wylam with his wife, Barbara, in 1970, to work for Northumberland County Council and worked there in a variety of roles until his retirement.

Their children, Rebecca and Matthew, both grew up in the village.

Philip represented Wylam on Tynedale District Council as an independent councillor for 24 years, from 1983 to 2007, standing down only when the unified Northumberland Council was looming.

At various times he served the council as chairman of the leisure and tourism and policy and resources committees. He also served for many years on the committee of the Northumberland Association of Local Councils, acting as chairman for some of that time.

Philip was also a member of Wylam Parish Council for 40 years between 1973 and 2013, including two periods as chairman.

During this time he developed Wylam Parish Council’s Railway Museum, which opened in 1981 and continues to be an attraction for visitors from far and wide.

In the same year, he played a key role in the celebrations of the bicentenary of the birth of George Stephenson.

Philip wrote several books about Wylam and its pioneering railway engineers and, reflecting his interest in the countryside and the environment, he produced a number of booklets about walks in and around Wylam and east Tynedale.

He was also responsible for establishing Wylam Parish Council’s newsletter, the Wylam Globe, in 1973, which he continued to edit until 2005, and was one of the founders of Wylam Local History Society.

During recent years, and right up to the time of his death, Philip was a key member of a small team researching the stories of those from Wylam who died during the First World War – a task that will now continue without him.

Always a “hands-on” servant of the community, Philip could often be seen around Wylam with a pair of shears or secateurs, helping to keep the place tidy.

He kept a keen eye on matters that would require consideration by either the county or parish councils – a presence which will no doubt be greatly missed in the village.

Following a private service of committal, there will be a public service of thanksgiving for Philip’s life at St Oswin’s Church in Wylam, on Friday, July 13 at 2pm.