'You play the cards you were dealt', says Torfaen's longest-serving councillor John Cunningham MBE

“I HAVE always been interested in the community and accessibility for disabled people, being disabled myself.

I was born in what was known as Cwmbran Village, which is known as Old Cwmbran now. My father worked at the local foundry.

At the age of two, after being on holiday in Clevedon in Somerset where my father’s sister lived, I came back and had contracted polio. As a result I lost the use of my left leg.

There was an epidemic at that time, the mid-1940s, and lots of people suffered from what they called then infantile paralysis, they changed the name to polio later.

I grew up with just the use of one leg, but my theory in life is you play the cards you were dealt with.

Things have changed a lot for disabled people. There is a lot more tolerance now for people with disabilities and special needs. During my younger days, if you were disabled there was no such thing as disability payments, we just had to get on with it.

I have been lucky. All through my life I have worked.

I went to Cwmbran Roman Catholic School and then went to Abersychan Technical College and studied engineering.

My first job was an apprentice printer, but it didn’t suit me at all. I went from there to work in a nut and bold factory and lasted there two years there as they closed the factory down.

There was no such thing as redundancy back then, so they gave me £2 for every year that I worked there so I came out with £4.

I worked at a toy company, Chiltern toys in Pontypool, as a supervisor. I was offered a job in Girlings and I was there for 25 years.

I was made redundant because the logistics side where I worked was externalised and I set up a company with others and we took over the contract and operate a transport company for them.

I got married in 1964 to Patricia. We met when we were out for the walk in Cwmbran and just started talking. I asked her out and we were to meet at Pontnewydd pictures. She didn’t turned up the first time but the next time she did, and the rest is history.

We had two children, Angela in 1966 and Helen in 1971. Unfortunately we lost Helen when she was four, she picked up a virus that pitched on the heart and it became enlarged.

It was very difficult, but you do find the strength to cope with it from somewhere. I believe there is a God up there and I believe he gives you the strength to cope with it. That strength also came from family and others.

Angela now works in Torfaen council now.

I first got into politics in 1973 when I joined the local Labour party. I became secretary and then in 1977 I stood as a community councillor for Upper Cwmbran and got in.

Then they asked me to stand for the borough in 1978 when there was a vacancy on the council when someone left and there was a space for a candidate and I was asked.

They asked me to do it until the next election, it wasn’t permanent as I was working and had two young children. I spent a year at it then 40 years and four months later I was still there.

The reason why I stayed longer was that I started to enjoy it so I stood in 1979 and was voted in as a councillor. That is when I started my full term of office.

It was an interesting time and very different because you had the committee system.

There was later the cabinet system, which meant decisions were made much quicker and there were many other elements added to make sure the democratic process was observed like scrutiny committees.

My portfolio was varied, but for about 30 years I spent most of my time as chairman or executive member in what was called the direct works department, then Maggie Thatcher brought in compulsory tendering where councils had to tender for contracts, so I was chairman for that department. Later I was in neighbourhood services, so I was mainly in the front line of the council.

Hopefully I influenced many aspects, but you don’t win them all. Relatively we didn’t do too bad and I felt it was a great privilege to represent the people of upper Cwmbran for the length of time that I did.

I was the election organiser for Paul Murphy for 25 years and he was a wonderful chap to work for. It was at the time he was working on the Good Friday Agreement.

I have always worked for the community and disabled people. I was involved with a very good friend, Cynthia Beynon MBE, and we started Torfaen Opportunity Group and we have a centre in New Inn.

We also set up Torfaen Community Transport, of which I have been the chairman for since 1989. There was nothing like that before. It’s an organisation that provides transport for people with special needs. From senior citizens who like to go to clubs or day centres, or people combined to a wheelchair who can’t use conventional transport.

We also run a shopmobility shop in the Cwmbran Centre and from there we also run Torfaen Aids for the Disabled Society.

In 1995 I received a Papal knighthood in for services to the community, and later received an MBE from the Queen in 2000 for services to the voluntary sector.

It was something of an event and it was very strict there. They tell you what to do and it is very regimental. You name is announced and why you are there and the queen will hang a medal on you.

She has a little chat and you must call her Ma’am as in jam. When she shakes your hand then you’re finished and you stand back and walk off. There’s a man waiting and he takes the medal from you and puts it into a box and you sit with your family.

I became mayor of Torfaen in 1989. There was at that time an expectation because at that time it was done on seniority and length of service.

That was a very hectic year, I did in the region of 700 engagements. I was still working at the time in Girlings and the chauffer would pick me up from there at around 2pm and I would spend the rest of the day doing mayoral duties.

It was a wonderful experience, but I was glad when the time was up because I was exhausted. Your social life is gone when you are mayor.

I am sad that there is no mayor any more. You don’t realise until you are mayor how much you are appreciated by the people. You were representing the council in a ceremonial way.

I am a Catholic and the Pope gave me the Order of St Gregory the Great (Papal knighthood) and I received that in St David’s Cathedral in Cardiff.

I retired on May 18, 2017, and I felt it was time to go. My wife decided to retire and I felt it was a good time for me to leave too. We want to spend a bit of our life together.

I am not missing it as much as I thought I would. I am doing other things. I am on the Congeress Theatre board, St Albans RC high school governors, chairman of the Papal Knights in Wales Association and am the chairman of the First West Pontnewydd scout group.

I don’t know how I had time to be a councillor.

I would like to think that I have resolved some of the issues that people with special needs have. I hope to have helped a lot of people.”