Mary McWilliams

First black councillor in Cornwall

Suggested by Carol McWilliams 

Mary McWilliams was the first black councillor in Cornwall elected in 2011 to Redruth Town Council.

Mary is well known throughout Redruth for her community spirit and action where she is a leading member of the local Catholic Church and volunteers with the St Vincent and St Paul charity. Her five children were brought up in Redruth where she worked as a classroom assistant at Curnow School. 

Mary runs a lovely small holding from which she supplies eggs, fruits and vegetables to the local community.  

When she was elected in 2011 she commented, "I am honoured and thrilled to be the first black woman elected … I hope I can repay the trust local voters have given me by listening to their concerns and working hard for them." In addition she said, “as a keen member of the local allotment group I will support any initiatives that promote healthy living in the town.” 

This woman is important to me as no one can really imagine the mountains she had to climb, moving to Cornwall in 1976 with two small non-English speaking Ugandan children. She faced a hostile extended family and environment and overcame this by embedding herself into the community. She is a trailblazer for black excellence and community cohesion.