Memorial to Mr Nailsworth (From Stroud News and Journal)

Memorial to Mr Nailsworth

A PERMANENT memorial to the man known as Mr Nailsworth has finally been unveiled outside the town library - seven years after he died. The stoneware clay artwork created by town artist Kerry von Zschock in memory of George Mills depicts Nailsworth landmarks and scenes including the Fountain and the Subscription Rooms.

It was unveiled by Nailsworth county councillor Sybil Bruce on Tuesday, June 3 and drew praise from Mr Mills' widow Betty, 84, who said: "I'm thrilled to bits because I didn't know what to expect.

"It is really a memorial of Nailsworth. George was known as Mr Nailsworth and lived his life for the town."

Born in 1912, George Mills began working for the Nailsworth Urban District Council aged 14, resigning 30 years later on what Mrs Mills describes as a point of principle.

Persuaded to stand for election to the council, George Mills went on to become town mayor and a district and county representative, serving as a county councillor for 18 years.

As the first chairman of Gloucestershire County Council's Public Protection Committee, he was credited with saving Nailsworth's Fire Station and its retained crews from draconian cuts in the 1970s.

Former Nailsworth station commander Barry Hathaway said: "He was a back room boy who got things done - a quiet kind of guy, clever and knowledgeable, and a gentleman and people responded to that and they listened.

"Out of all the Nailsworth people this century he has got to be up among the top two or three."

A keen sportsman, Mr Mills played for Forest Green Rovers in the 1930s and was club president at the time of his death aged 83 on June 27, 1995.