Clr O'Neill, aged 52, was co-opted and welcomed on to Helsby Parish Council for central ward at its January meeting.

Clr O'Neill, a former pupil at Helsby Grammar School, lives with his wife in Lower Robin Hood Lane and they have family in Elton and Warrington.

As a professional engineer Clr O'Neill has worked in the electricity and supply industry for 36 years in numerous power stations in the United Kingdom.

In 1969, Clr O'Neill left the village in pursuit of his career took him as far as Australia where he worked as a maintenance manager at Yallourn Power Station in Maine, Victoria between 1997 and 1999.

He returned to the UK to work in the electricity distribution business in the east Midlands as new connections business manager before retiring in April 2002.

Clr and Mrs O'Neill moved back to Helsby just over a year ago.

Clr O'Neill said: "I have retired now and have some time on my hands and I feel it is time for me to put something back into the community where I was so fortunate to be brought up."

"I have always considered Helsby as my home and when we used to come back from Australia for visits I would always go up Helsby hill to see if anything had changed."

Clr O' Neill said he is looking forward to working with the community of Helsby.

jdriscoll@guardiangrp.co.uk

Councillor looks to the future