Yorkshire Dales community champion John Blackie will be sorely missed - Yorkshire Post letters

ON behalf of myself and Wensleydale Creamery, it is with great sadness that we learned of John Blackie’s passing. I first met John in 1992 around the time of the closure of Wensleydale Creamery and John became a local leader in the ‘Save the Creamery’ campaign.

Why the Yorkshire Dales has lost a ‘vocal champion’ in John Blackie

He lobbied media, MPs, local government and, together with colleagues, supporters and the community, raised the profile of a small business closure in a ‘deeply rural environment’ to national status.

The pressure and momentum gained through this campaign did indeed contribute significantly to the then owners, Dairy Crest, agreeing to a sale to the management team.

Since this time, John maintained full contact with the creamery and became a champion of our progress and development. Throughout the years following our buyout, John fought for the Creamery, always in the spirit of progress and ultimately for the wellbeing of Hawes and the Upper Dales.

Friarage Hospital campaigners will never forget the support of Dales councillor John Blackie – Yorkshire Post letters

As we know, John loved to ‘back a cause’; in our case, it was to resurrect a failing business and to maintain employment and economic survival in Hawes. John always recognised the value and the contribution local businesses make to the stability of the local community and the opportunities and jobs for local people. John was the person responsible for ensuring our deeply rural community has The Little White Bus – and remarkably, I often saw John at the wheel of a bus – now that is leadership!

Tributes paid to long-serving councillor and Yorkshire Dales champion John Blackie

I suspect one of John’s proudest achievements for our community will be the huge success of the Community Garage – whereby a not-for-profit organisation purchased the local garage, to ensure our town has a viable fuel outlet, taking advantage of rural support payments for fuel.

John loved to promote our area as a ‘self-sufficient community’, and whilst he loved to deal with the media in all its forms, regionally, nationally and internationally, he genuinely had a point to make – we are self-sufficient, sustainable and successful! We owe a huge debt of gratitude to John Blackie. He fought tirelessly for what he believed in – people, social justice, fairness, opportunity for all, our environment, education, housing, rural economic prosperity and wellbeing – all wrapped up in the objective of prosperity for Hawes, Wensleydale and the Upper Dales. John will be missed by me, the creamery and the community he represented.