Appleby’s newest town councillor has promised to continue her husband’s legacy.
Cricket Kemp was co-opted to the council at its last monthly meeting, to the sound of applause from those who attended.
She follows in the footsteps of her late husband, Ian Potts, who was at the forefront of town life in Appleby, leading the Rotary club, organising concerts and serving as a councillor.
Cricket told the council: “My husband and I moved here 25 years ago and I’m afraid that when he moved here, he complained now and again about things he thought the town wasn’t doing right.
“And I got tired of him doing that so I said ‘look, if you don’t like it just go and join the council’ — and he did!”
In 2008, Ian was elected as mayor of Appleby but, before he could take office, he suffered a major heart attack which meant he was unable to fulfil his duties.
He was a medical first, being fitted with a left ventricular assist device to help him. The average lifespan of patients with this device is 18 months, but Ian survived with his for another 13 years – longer than anyone else in the world.
Last May, Ian died at the age of 79. Appleby’s flag flew at half-mast and tributes came rolling in.
“I thought really I owed it to him since I hassled him into coming here that actually I should come myself and volunteer,” she added. “Time to step up.”
At the meeting she was proposed by councillor Stan Rooke who said: “I’m sure she will be just as useful to the council as Ian was.”
This was echoed by Dot Anderton who seconded Cricket’s nomination.
After being voted in, Cricket read aloud and signed the declaration of acceptance — as is tradition for new councillors.
In a touching gesture, mayor Gareth Hayes dedicated the meeting to Ian.
Cricket grew up in a small town in New York State. She said it had a lot of similarities to Appleby, acting as a county town to a wide rural area.
This experience has informed her vision for Appleby — to make it a welcoming place which draws both locals and tourists. In a huge coincidence, the US-born councillor said her daughter had looked into her family history and found her to be a direct descendant of Lady Anne Clifford, who rejuvenated Appleby Castle in the 1600s.
With a background in teaching, she has worked with struggling pupils in Newcastle and trained staff at companies such as British Nuclear Fuels and the NHS, as well as spending six years with pupils in Northern Nigeria with the Peace Corps.
There she said some 300 languages were spoken within the school’s walls and the children were some of the brightest she had ever taught.
Even though it is around 3,000 miles away from the tiny African village, Cricket said she liked small communities like Appleby, with local shops offering a bespoke service.
While Appleby is undoubtedly a town with a lot going for it, she did say improvements could be made, including tackling the lack of parking and early closing time for shops.
She hopes to find out townspeople’s ideas and concerns in order to help the community. To this end, people are encouraged to make themselves and their ideas known to Cricket whenever they find her out and about.
