BARNSLEY TOWN
Barnsley’s leading lady
As she dons her ceremonial red cloak and chains, raising town spirit is firmly at the top of the agenda for the new mayor of Barnsley as she encourages people to support the evolving town centre and its future plans.
Now in her third term as a local councillor
for the Darfield ward, Cllr Pauline Markham was officially elected as the Mayor of Barnsley for 2019/20 back in May and is looking forward to an exciting year ahead as the town’s revival continues. “I’m proud to have represented Darfield for
the past nine years and now the wider Barnsley community. It’s a great time for the town following the completion of phase one of our regeneration project and we’ve already seen an increase in footfall, thanks in part to the launch of the new markets. “People seem really positive and there’s
a buzz around Barnsley that we’ve not had in years,” Pauline says. With a background in retail and as South
Yorkshire’s branch secretary for USDAW, the union of shop, distribution and allied workers, Pauline is keen to help save Barnsley’s high street and support the town’s many independent shops. Born and raised in Wath-upon-Dearne,
Pauline and her husband Larry, a former miner, moved to Scotland with their two children in the mid-80s following the closure of the pits. However, as Larry’s health deteriorated, the family
‘‘Along with her civil duties, Pauline will have a busy year in office as she works to support two local charities; Age UK Barnsley and BIADS - Barnsley Independent Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support.’’
moved back to their South Yorkshire roots 20 years ago to be closer to family and friends. Settling in Darfield, Pauline started work on
the checkouts at the Cortonwood Morrisons superstore where she first joined USDAW as a union member. Soon after, she became a union representative in store and managed to raise membership figures by more than 80 percent, something the union had never seen happen before. As an active member, she regularly attended
the annual delegates meeting in Blackpool and campaigned for more workers’ rights including the gender pay gap and sexual harassment at work. “The next logical step for me was to join the
Labour party and I became involved in national politics before moving into local politics and was originally elected as a councillor in 2010. “One of my first roles as Mayor was to chair a
full council meeting which can be very daunting and intimidating when you’re in the mayoral robes. The political scene in Barnsley is changing and so you’ve got to know your stuff and be on top of what’s happening or things can get out of hand.” Along with her civil duties, Pauline will have
a busy year in office as she works to support two local charities; Age UK Barnsley and BIADS – Barnsley Independent Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support. Both of her chosen charities hold a place
close to her heart, with Pauline a director of Age UK and having seen what support and service they can provide for older people with very little money. She also saw the rapid deterioration of her
late mother to dementia and recognises how it affects families who also need support
with the person diagnosed. “Mum was widowed at 52 and never remarried
so she spent a lot of time on her own. Just before she turned 80 we noticed she was becoming more forgetful but put it down to age. Just a year later and she didn’t know who any of us were, she couldn’t feed herself and she had to be virtually locked in for fear of her going missing in the night. “My uncle was also a footballer at the time of
leather footballs and he developed early onset dementia, thought to have been caused by the footballs.” Pauline’s theme for her year as Mayor is
loneliness across generations, not just older people, and she will also be working with young peoples’ services to help tackle a growing epidemic. “There’s a myth that loneliness affects
pensioners and widowers but there are lots of younger people who are lonely, too. “Perhaps they are shy and hide behind
their phones or social media; some may not realise what is actually out there to get involved with. Either way, we are seeing a rise in mental health issues in younger people and we need to bring town spirit into it to make a change for future generations.” Throughout her year as Mayor, Pauline will
be joined by her husband of 46 years, Larry, as Consort who will support her as best he can, along with Royston councillor, Caroline Makinson, 2019’s deputy mayor. Pauline is also supported by a great young team in the Mayor’s Parlour who will ensure her full diary keeps her busy. “My assistant Vicky is brilliant, she’s also new
to the role as am I so we’re both helping each other along the way. Also, my attendant Glen is a lovely and personable young man who goes above and beyond. Nothing is too much trouble and he’s like a second son really.” Speaking of children, Pauline and Larry are
parents to son Steven who lives up the road from them with his two daughters, and daughter Debbie who lives over 10,000 miles away in Melbourne, Australia and watched her mother’s inauguration via the internet. When not on duty and on a rare day off, the
Markhams enjoy normal family life including much loved Yorkshire roast dinners and trips to their caravan on the Lincolnshire coast.
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aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
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