WARM tributes have been paid to the woman who was the first female mayor of Colwyn Bay and who received the freedom of the town after her death aged 101.
Alice Robinson died peacefully at Merton Place care home, where she was a resident, on Wednesday, July 12.
She is survived by her son, Mike and daughter-in-law, Georgina; her grandson, David; and great-grandson, George.
In 1966, Alice was also awarded a British Empire Medal in 1966 for meritorious service in the Royal Observer Corps.
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‘Remarkable’ first female mayor of Colwyn Bay celebrates 100th birthday
Alice was a founding member of numerous organisations, including the North Wales Housing Association (NWHA), Colwyn Crossroads Care, and Colwyn Care and Repair, and was leader of the Liberal Democrat councillors at Colwyn Borough Council.
From 1977 until 1978, she served as Colwyn Bay’s first female mayor, and received the freedom of the town in 1996.
She was also one of three people in Wales to be awarded the President’s Medal for her outstanding achievements for Macmillan Cancer Support in June 2004.
Her son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Georgina, led tributes to a woman they remembered as a “force to be reckoner with”.
They said: “She was a selfless person. She didn’t stop trying to do things for the community and for other people.
“We had holidays with her, including in Thailand, which were great fun. Family meant the world to her.
“She used to love travelling when Mike’s dad, Stanley, was alive, and Thailand was their favourite place.
“She was up for anything. In Thailand, we strolled across a game reserve together to find nine Sumatran tigers, and a Buddhist monk who was looking after them!
“She wasn’t scared of anything, and a force to be reckoned with.”
A member of Bay of Colwyn Town Council for 25 years, Alice also chaired Conwy Voluntary Services Council (CVSC), the Conwy branch of the Alzheimer’s Society, and Conwy Community Transport.
She has also served as a health board carer member, vice-chair of the Colwyn Bay and District branch of Macmillan Cancer Support, a school governor, a trustee of Conwy Furniture Reclaim, a member of Friends of Theatr Colwyn and the Sir Henry Morris Jones Trust, and a member of both Clwyd North and Dyffryn Clwyd Community Health Councils.
Val Smith, activities coordinator at Merton Place care home, also celebrated the life of a “fabulous person”.
Alice was chair of the Conwy branch of the Alzheimer’s Society when Val began working there in the early 2000s, before the two also worked together again at Bay of Colwyn Town Council.
“Alice was a fabulous person; a dynamic, impressive woman for all of her 101 years,” said Val, who also served as mayor of Colwyn Bay from 2014 to 2015,
“She was my friend, mentor and cheerleader, and I will miss her.”
Alice’s niece, Lynne Newman, said she loved and admired her aunt for as long as she could remember.
Lynne added: “My memories of staying over with her family during school holidays were very special.
“Aunty Alice ran a B&B at some stage in my early years, and I will never forget her delicious homemade cream horns.
“She turned her hand to dressmaking and was very successful; a talent learned, I’m sure, from my grandmother.
“I left the UK in the early 70s and was not there during her splendid time as mayor of Colwyn Bay, (but) the family was very proud of her achievements and kept me in touch with all her amazing moments.
“In the sad days when my uncle Stanley suffered with dementia and was hospitalised, my auntie religiously visited him daily to help him at tea time.
“I visited her before her 100th birthday in the lovely old age facility, where she was happy and so well cared for.
“She was a wonderful lady, whom I have always wished to emulate.”
The CVSC also issued a statement on behalf of the organisation to pay tribute to Alice following her death.
It read: “The staff and trustees of CVSC are saddened to hear the news of Alice’s passing.
“We have very fond memories of Alice from the early, formative days of CVSC, and of working on various partnerships for the good of the local community.
“Alice lived a full and well-lived life, and we also remember her for her most elegant appearance and beautifully coiffured hair.”
Baroness Christine Humphreys, a Welsh Lib Dems peer and leader of the party's group in the House of Lords, added: “My abiding memory of Alice will be as our charismatic group leader on Colwyn Borough Council in the '80s and '90s.
“She was always firm and forthright in her beliefs and used all her experience to mould us into a harmonious and effective group.
“I'll always be grateful for the example she set to the 'younger' members of the group - she showed us how a true 'politician of the people' should work and behave.
“She embodied and embraced community politics.”
Cllr Abdul Khan, of Conwy County Borough Council (Plaid Cymru, Glyn ward), also crossed paths with Alice while serving at Bay of Colwyn Town Council.
He added: “My sincere condolences to Alice’s family; we lost a remarkable lady and a century of history.
“Alice’s contributions to Colwyn Bay were immense and she was loved by every councillor who knew her, regardless of political affiliation.”
Cllr Hannah Fleet, the current mayor of Colwyn Bay, also sent her condolences to Alice’s family on behalf of Bay of Colwyn Town Council.
She added: “Alice achieved so much for the Bay of Colwyn, with the needs of the community always her priority.
“As a woman mayor, I owe her and the strong, feisty women of her generation so much thanks and admiration.
“They forged a route that allows women to use our energy, experience and talents for the good of our community. I hope she would be as proud of us as we are of her.”
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