Southport should erect a Statue to Jean Alexander, says a town centre councillor

Picture: Jean Alexander with former Mayor of the Borough of Sefton, Councillor Maureen Fearn at the opening of the Tulketh Street temporary library

Southport should erect a Statue to Jean Alexander, says a town centre councillor.

Councillor Tony Dawson says:

“Everybody knows of Jean’s twenty years as ‘Hilda Ogden’ in ‘Coronation Street’ and her equal time as ‘Auntie Wainwright’ in ‘Last of the Summer Wine’.

“But not so many people know,” says Cllr Dawson, ” the extent to which Jean was completely devoted to the town of Southport, her adopted home.

“Jean lived modestly in Emanuel Road for many years. She was often seen about town until the disabling stroke last year.  She absolutely loved the town and would do anything for Southport if asked.

“For instance, Jean was the first patron of the Southport-based Sefton Pensioners’ Advocacy Service, which now operates from Shakespeare House.”

“I first encountered Jean personally when she offered to help the fight to retain our hospital services in Southport. Jean sat in a chilly hospital bed in the bandstand on Lord Street drawing attention to the campaign to keep Southport as the main hospital site locally, with Dr Peter Entwistle pretending to take her pulse. I have many photographs still from that campaign.”

“And when the town was threatened with losing our central Library for over a year, while the Atkinson was being refurbished, Jean was willing to lend a hand to publicise the temporary Library that was created to ‘bridge the gap’ till the Atkinson was completed.”

“When it comes down to a choice between Jean Alexander and Red Rum as to who should have a statue here, in my view there is no contest. But we can and should have both.”

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