THE life of Wellington Lib Dem activist Pauline Sturgess, who passed away in January aged 95, was celebrated at an event last week.

Liberal Democrats from across two constituencies joined volunteers, friends and family on Thursday (April 24) at Sheppys, near Bradford on Tone, to remember Pauline, including one sitting MP and two former MPs.

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “Pauline was a committed and hardworking Liberal Democrat activist who saw many changes in the local politics of Taunton and Wellington.

“A great advocate for the importance of women in politics, she was a key player in the party when Taunton’s first female Member of Parliament, Jackie Ballard, was elected in 1997.

“Later, Pauline worked with and supported Jeremy Browne as he campaigned to become MP for Taunton Deane in 2005.

“As president of the local party from 2018 to 2023, she was delighted to hear Gideon Amos had succeeded in entering Westminster as MP for Taunton and Wellington in July last year.

“Pauline, who lived in Wellington, was a great believer in community work and in addition to her efforts for the Lib Dem local party, she volunteered for the Samaritans, as well as chairing the Friends of Wellington Park.”

Tributes to Pauline were paid by Mr Browne (MP 2005 to 2015) Rachel Gilmour (MP for Tiverton and Minehead) and Cllr Ross Henley, Somerset Council member for Blackdown and Neroche, as well as a representative from the Samaritans.

They all spoke of a welcoming, generous, and hard working and committed community champion.

Mr Amos, who was unable to attend due to commitments in Westminster, sent the family a bottle of House of Commons wine and said: “Pauline was always a tower of strength and support.

“When few others were willing to take up the cause, I often spent time at meetings in her house on Wellington High Street and we gradually began to build up the party again – just as Pauline had so often done in the past.

“Pauline was such a stalwart – a real rock for our party – and she will be very much missed from our local party family.”

Donations in memory of Pauline will be split between the Samaritans and Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats.