A former Alsager town councillor has been awarded the first Honorary Freeman of Alsager Town Council.

Alsager Town Council unanimously approved his award for Ron Tyson who served on the town council for 21 years at a special council meeting on August 1st.

Mr Tyson's award will be presented by the chair, Councillor Jane Hearne at her civic service on September 10th at St Mary's Church in Alsager.

A spokesperson for Alsager Town Council said: "The award has been bestowed on Mr Tyson due to exceptional services to the town and people of Alsager.

"Ron has been involved in the Alsager community for almost 30 years, first joining the town council in 1995 when the town was a different place with a much-reduced population but with vibrant businesses and education facility, the Manchester Metropolitan University.

"In 1997, he joined the Alsager Institute Committee becoming Chairman of the Committee in 2001 and remained as chairman of the committee until he retired from Alsager Town Council in 2023 - a remarkable 21 years. 

"He took an active part in ensuring Alsager Institute remained open to serve the community taking an interest in the various hirers, reporting to the town council on its activities and assisted greatly in updating the governance and ownership of the building over the past five years.

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"In addition to serving Alsager as a town councillor and Trustee of Alsager Institute, Ron is a long serving member of the Rotary Club and Rugby Club."

He has also been chair and Trustee of The Jane Maddocks Homes for many years, social housing for single women over 55 years old seeking a peaceful, safe, and secure place to live.

Mr Tyson was instrumental in getting the homes completed to a high standard in obtaining the appropriate grants and ensuring the work was completed. He has now stepped down from being chair but remains as an integral part of the team.

He is also a Trustee of the Alsager Educational Foundation, which makes grants to children and young people of Alsager, as individuals or groups, for educational purposes and activities not normally provided by the state.

Mr Tyson began attending St. Mary's Church around 25 years ago, about 20 years of which he was the Church Warden (a representative role of the Bishop of Chester), a role which over the years he fulfilled alongside many others.

During his 20 years or so, there was only one year in which Mr Tyson wasn't church warden because of health reasons.

Along with this Mr Tyson has also, for many years, represented St. Mary's on Deanery Synod, attending all the meetings and reporting back on deanery or diocesan events.

As one of the Deanery Representatives this entitled Mr Tyson to be a member on the Parochial Church Council, both roles he has served loyally until this spring when he stepped down.

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"His dedication and interest in supporting the vibrancy of Alsager should be commended and his support and knowledge has been invaluable to the Town Council and many other community organisations in Alsager," the spokesperson for Alsager Town Council added.