Councillor Ashley Evans took on the chain of office to become the new Mayor of Calderdale in May, joined by his wife Rosie Tatchell as Mayoress.

Councillor Evans has chosen Children's Heart Surgery Fund as one of his nominated charities for his year in office. He and his wife tragically lost their son, Tudor, when he was just 16 to congenital heart disease (CHD).

Coun. Evans said:

"Our first son, Tudor, was born with [a heart condition called] Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) which required open heart surgery when he was 18 months old at Killingbeck Hospital. This [surgery] enabled Tudor to develop well through primary school and on into secondary school, living pretty much a normal life. Becoming an active, bright, funny and ‘challenging’ teenager in the best sense of that word. As his teachers said: “you always knew when Tudor was in the classroom”!

"He began playing rugby union as a 6 year old for the well-respected Old Brods in Halifax, helping them reach two Yorkshire club finals. He loved music and, after GCSEs, applied to go to Music College with the intention of becoming the next Oasis. With this in mind, he set up a rock band with his brother, Morgan, calling it Buen Chico (Spanish for ‘Good Guys’). But, in his 15th year, his heart was beginning to act up again, with increasingly frequent tachycardia attacks. This meant he had to give up his beloved rugby, but ‘good old Brods’ asked him to help coach the juniors so he could keep in touch with the club and his team mates.

"However, he needed more open heart surgery - this time in the new facilities at Leeds General Infirmary. His recovery from this was long and hard but, with the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit's skills and support, plus his own determination and grit, he went off to music college. He and Morgan led band practices, writing their own material and hassling promoters to give them live gigs. They got their first one at the Ukrainian Club and performed in front of more than 100 friends and fellow students – they were on the road to success! Whilst negotiating for a ‘residency’ at ‘The Ukie’, he went off to college one day, and never came back – the dreaded TOF struck him down out of the blue.

"We all still miss Tudor, but he was able to pack so much into his tragically short life - as a result of the research, skill and care provided through the Heart Unit at the LGI who, in turn, were supported by Children's Heart Surgery Fund. Between them, they had delivered on their early strap-line: “Every Child, a Childhood” and, as a result, we could think of no one better than Children's Heart Surgery Fund to nominate as one of our charities [this year]."

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A big thank you to The Book Table at Tesco's, King Cross, Halifax and Halifax Panthers spectators for their kind donations.