Glossop Labour Club sends its condolences to the family and friends of Vic Eddisford, who passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 96. 

Vic was a former stalwart of Glossop Labour Club and organiser, activist and supporter of socialist and progressive movements locally and nationally.

His commitment to creating a better world and love of people sustained him throughout his life and has been an inspiration to his friends and generations of the Eddisford family. 

Born into poverty in Manchester in 1925 and raised by his mother after the early death of his father, Vic left school at 14 into an engineering apprenticeship.

He soon became active in the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) and Young Communist League (YCL), eventually becoming a full time organiser and officer of the YCL and then the Communist Party (CPGB). Vic moved to London in 1968 as an electoral agent and attended conferences throughout the world.

After four years working for the CPGB in London, Vic moved back to Manchester as area organiser, where he met his second wife Ann Fleetwood.

Later he resumed his engineering career, moved to Glossop in the early 1980s, and was soon involved with Glossop Labour Club and local progressive causes.

Vic joined Glossop Trades Council becoming Chair, and in this role was instrumental in setting up the local Miners' Support Group in 1984/85. He chaired the inaugural public meeting at the Town Hall that led to Glossop adopting Church Warsop Pit in Derbyshire, arranging food, clothing and toy collections for striking miners and their families.

Vic took on other roles locally including involvement with Glossopdale Against Racism, secretary of the local Pensioners Association branch, Treasurer of Glossop Action for Local Older People (GALLOP) and most recently Secretary and later Chair of Ladybower Court Residents Association.

In his 90s, Vic was still vociferous about world events, and fittingly his beautiful humanist funeral service ended with Bob Marley and The Wailers’ 'Get Up, Stand Up (Stand Up for Your Rights)' 

A memorial event for Vic will be arranged at Glossop Labour Club on Chapel Street at a later date. 

Donations in lieu of flowers should be made out to Crossroads Derbyshire and sent to c/o Arthur Worsley Funeral Directors, 113 Station Road, Hadfield, Glossop SK13 1AA. Vic, and particularly Ann, took an active interest in what was known as Glossop Women’s Aid.

Read more from the Glossop Chronicle

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper