Cllr Ken Hulme was the Vice-Chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council.
One of Saddleworth’s best-known figures, Parish Councillor Ken Hulme, has died after a short illness.
Cllr Hulme passed away early on Friday morning at the Royal Oldham Hospital, at the age of 62. Friends and family have described the news as a great shock.
Ken served the Saddleworth Parish Council for the last eight years. He was the current vice chairman, and was hoping to become chairman later this year. A tribute issued by the council said that he “loved live, music and the Saddleworth hills.”
He was a well-known and often outspoken councillor for Delph and Denshaw and was involved in many local campaigns, including fighting to keep wind turbines out of the Castleshaw Valley.
Ken also took a close interest in traffic issues in Saddleworth, supporting Delph Library, and in the upkeep of the graveyard at the village’s Independent Chapel.
A long-standing member of the Labour Party, who once stood as a Labour candidate in a Westminster election, Ken had recently sat on the parish council as an Independent. He said he had grown disillusioned with Labour both locally and nationally, over issues ranging from the withdrawal of funding for Delph Library to the invasion of Iraq.
He only narrowly failed to win a seat on the borough council last year, but saw three fellow independents join him on the parish in elections held on the same day.
Ken Hulme is survived by his wife Hannah Roberts, and their son George.
Past articles on this website about Ken can be read here. The full tribute from Saddleworth Parish Council can be read here.
If you have any tributes or memories of Ken, please leave them in the comments below.
Sad to hear this, very sad. Peace be the journey.
Words, however kind,
can’t mend your heartache:
but those who care and
share your loss wish you
comfort and peace of mind.
May you find strength
in the love of family
and in the warm embrace
of friends.
Deepest Sympathy and regret to loose a pillar of saddleworth. All my thoughts go out to his family and in particular Hannaha.
Imran Yousaf.
Words cannot express the level of personal sadness I felt on receiving this terrible news. However my thoughts are very much with Ken’s family at this time. The community has lost a real champion, but a family has lost a much loved husband and father.
Ken was charismatic to say the least. He was a great source of inspiration, support and encouragement to a lot of people, including myself. He was a man of principle, and his knowledge was breathtaking.
I feel honoured and priviliged to say that I knew Ken personally. He was a one-off. A legend. R.I.P. Ken.
RIP Ken Hulme, I think respect is always due to anybody who helps this lovely area and community in one way or another.
Whilst I didn’t always agree with some of Ken’s views, I did have a lot of admiration for him. RIP Ken you will be missed and all my sympathy to his family
Sad news. An independant man of principle and eloquence who will be missed around here. He stood up for common sense and the ordinary people of Saddleworth. Outspoken and justifiably controversial in the face of some of the idiotic bureaucracy which has helped spoil Saddleworth: over-development, traffic chaos, parking madness, civic megalomania. R.I.P. Ken and condolences to his family.
So sorry to hear this. He was very well respected in the community. R.I.P. Ken. His family are in my thoughts.
I find it very difficult to find the words here to give Ken the comments he so rightly deserves.
Ken was a huge inspiration to me and many others in so many ways.
Many people just knew Ken the Politician, and there he played his most well known part in the community.
Some may not have liked what he said but nobody could deny he was always working to help somebody else.
But he also worked tirelessly in the Saddleworth Peace Movement, as well as being a Teacher and Scout Leader
All of these things he did for the good of other people.
I’ve never met such a giving soul
There is now a huge gap in Saddleworth that can never be refilled, he will be sorely missed
Rest In Peace Ken
Thank you for these kind thoughts.
The funeral will be at 2pm on Monday at the Oldham Crematorium followed by refreshments at the Civic Centre in Uppermill.
I knew Ken best during his time in London. He was a fighter; a passionate defender of anyone who had been wronged. Whether it was injustice in Chile or South Africa, he was always involved. I remember Ken and Hannah during those terrible days and months of the miners strike, when they worked tirelessly to try to prevent mining communities being crushed by Mrs Thatcher. And I remember him in the struggle to keep Arlington Road hostel open, clean and descent for so many men who had nowhere else to live in London. He was a vital, warm, lovely bear of a man and an irreplaceable friend.
A man of the people Ken was, and fought for what he thought was right. You will be sadly missed by the people of Saddleworth. His family will be in every ones thoughts R.I.P. Ken.
Although we lost touch many years ago, it’s sad to know that you are not out there anymore – fighting for justice, having fun. R.I.P. Ken.
As Katherine Hepburn famously said: “Death will be a great relief. No more interviews.”
RIP Ken, you were a great champion for Saddleworth and will be very sorely missed.