Gary Palmer: friend, Greenbelt campaigner and local legend

It is with much sadness that we pass on the news that Gary Palmer, our great friend and a key figure in Save Royton's Greenbelt, passed away on Monday, after a long battle with cancer. Everyone will remember the epic marches to Tandle Hill in 2017 and 2019 that Gary was instrumental in organising. The marches were not straightforward to execute, and their success drew heavily on Gary's military training and sheer determination. They drew thousands of protesters from Royton and neighbouring areas and were even featured on prime-time regional news broadcasts. Gary was rightly proud of them. As we all were.

Gary as "Mr Greenbelt"

The marches were only the tip of what he contributed to the campaign: when we were fundraising for the judicial review, Gary set up a side-line in selling donated goods on Facebook, which contributed a great deal of valuable income to Save Royton's Greenbelt's fighting fund. And, when we established the 200 club he, and several other dedicated volunteers, posted promotional leaflets to virtually every house in north Royton.

It goes without saying that he was pivotal in saving Hanging Chadder and the fields adjoining Tandle Hill from housing development; there probably isn't another Green Belt group in the wider Greater Manchester campaign that had as much success as Save Royton's Greenbelt, and a large part of that success can be directly attributed to Gary. Gary may not have quite fit the conventional eco-warrior image, but he disliked bullies and this is probably what inspired him in this campaign. He saw the council bullying the Royton community and he decided he wasn't having it.

The Tandle Hill march in January 2017, which Gary helped to lead

Through this campaign, Gary leaves behind a substantial legacy. The most important part of that legacy is that children in Thornham will grow up next to lush green fields, rather than in a concrete jungle, and they will reap all the benefits that entails, hopefully for generations to come. And as a bonus, because we never needed to draw on the funds we raised for court action, we were in a position to donate it to local good causes—something that Gary took great delight in doing.

Thank you, Gary, for everything. You will be missed. Rest in peace, mate.