Tributes to long-standing commissioner who has died

Tributes have been paid following the death of long-standing member of Ramsey Commissioners Wilf Young.

Young, who was in his early eighties, died on Sunday after an illness.

First elected to the board of the northern local authority in 2002, he spent most of the next two and a half decades representing the South Ward of the town.

Deputy chairman Sandra Cottam-Shea said he was "always true to his values, never shy of expressing his opinion", and would be sadly missed.

"He leaves a legacy of great one-line statements that got his message across," she said.

"His local knowledge of Ramsey, the Isle of Man, coastlines and her sea will rarely be matched, and I know that Wilf will be part of our glorious Manx folklore in future years.

"We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to Wilf's family, friends and loved ones."

During his time as a commissioner, he served on several committees as well as the Northern Local Authorities Swimming Pool Board, Yn Chruinnaght Trust, and the Isle of Man Municipal Association.

Fellow commissioner Juan McGuinness said it was a "privilege to serve alongside him over the past 10 years".

"Wilf had a depth of knowledge about Ramsey, particularly South Ramsey and its history, that few could match," he said. "It wasn't academic, it was lived and remembered, and it will be missed not just around the board table, but across the town."

He was "never shy about speaking his mind", but that was "always rooted in a genuine care for Ramsey and what happened to it", he said.

"Direct, honest, and entirely himself. Ramsey has lost a voice that was completely its own."

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