THE death has occurred of Cllr Mike Stansfield - a long-standing member of Appleton Parish Council and local Royal British Legion stalwart.
He died on Monday aged 84 after a short illness, having recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Cllr Stansfield was a member of the parish council for 32 years, having been first elected on May 30, 1979, and was shortly to have been presented with a clock, bearing a plaque, to mark his years of service.
A farmer, he was also an enthusiastic yachtsman and a frequent visitor to Salcombe, in Devon, where he kept his yacht.
He was a long-standing member of the Conservative party and of Stockton Heath Royal British Club and a local Poppy Appeal organiser.
Cllr Stansfield was behind several recent initiatives by the parish council, including the special village sign for Appleton Thorn and the provision of street maps in bus shelters in the parish.
Parish clerk Peter Briggs said: "Mike was a great character and will be greatly missed."
Picture: Mike Stansfield - Poppy Appeal organiser.