Remembering Bill Pepper: A Lifetime of Service to Hamble

We are sad to report the death of Bill Pepper, aged 95, who greatly contributed to village organisations and was the recent longest-serving Parish Councillor having served on the Council for 49 years. He was elected to Hamble Parish Council in 1967 when Hamble was a very different place than it is today.

Bill was elected as a Borough Councillor in 1976 serving until 2008 which resulted in him becoming an Honorary Alderman of the Borough for his 32 years of service. In 1997 he became a County Councillor, and served until 2008. The list of committees on which he served for these councils is too long to list but some are given below to give an indication of his work.

Bill was Chairman of the Solent Sea Rescue Organisation Finance, Eastleigh Road Safety and the Pitt Street Gymnastics, Portsmouth, as well as Vice Chairman of the County Council’s Sports and Community Panel. He was also a director of Hampshire Preservation Trust and a member of Bursledon Windmill Committee, River Hamble Management Committee and the Henville Educational Foundation.

Before Bill became a Councillor, he was keen to help the elderly and with others set up the Hamble Welfare Liaison Committee in the 1960s, which helped elderly and disabled residents by providing wheelchairs and installing smoke alarms. In 1962 he started Hamble Bingo Club to raise money for Hamble’s OAPs so they could be given a Christmas hamper and one hundred weight of coal. This led to providing coach trips for OAPs to locations in the southern counties, with a meal provided on most occasions.

In his younger years, he was keen to participate in sports and later became captain of the Parish Council’s cricket team against the TS Mercury Old Boys Association.

When Bill retired in 1996, he became a volunteer driver for the elderly, providing transport to places such as surgeries or hospitals. Throughout his life he has helped organise village events and was Chairman of fundraising for the Queen’s Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

Bill was awarded the Honorary Freedom of the Parish on his retirement as Parish Councillor and recognised at last year’s Parish Council Community Awards.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

Ian Underdown