Ray Walker

Ray Walker

Ray Walker

Long-Bailey tribute

Rebecca Long-Bailey. Facebook, August 12, 2021.

It is with great sadness that I inform you that Councillor Ray Walker has tragically passed away after a sudden illness.

Ray was a lovely man, dedicating his life to public service and improving peoples lives both through his trade unionism and the Labour Party. He was proud to represent his community as councillor for Blackfriars and Trinity ward and put his proud socialist beliefs at the heart of everything he did.

For 31 years he worked for Salford Council, working as librarian at the Working Class Movement Library and also served as a Shop Steward for NALGO and UNISON later becoming Salford Unison Branch Secretary and also joined Unite the Union. He also served as Chair and Secretary for the Irwell Riverside Labour Party branch (now Blackfriars and Trinity) for many years and served as Salford and Eccles Constituency Labour Party Treasurer.

I am personally proud and grateful for the support he gave me and my office over the years as a caseworker where he was kind, diligent and moved heaven and earth to give people the support they needed. He made our office team feel like a family and he will be desperately missed by all of us and all those who have worked with him over the years.

I know you will all have so many fond memories of Ray. In his early years he was on the executive of the Communist Party of Britain before joining the Labour Party. Few know that he began training as a priest but lost his faith after a fellow trainee priest sadly died in a tragic motorbike accident at 19 years old. He enjoyed reading about Salford’s political history and was a dedicated reader and supporter of the Morning Star newspaper. He loved his wife Jan and his family, and few know that he absolutely loved Elvis (he was an occasional attendee at Elvis conventions and was a brilliant Elvis impersonator)

Communist to Labour

August 2021 tributes are being paid to a Salford councillor who died following a sudden illness aged 57.

Labour councillor for Blackfriars and Trinity Ray Walker, has been described by friends and colleagues as a ‘selfless’ man, ‘enthusiastic’ councillor and a trade unionist who was ‘deeply passionate’ about the city.

He served as a shop steward for two trade unions before becoming the branch secretary for Salford Unison and rising up the ranks in the local Labour Party.

He was an executive member of the Communist Party of Britain before joining the Labour Party and working for Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey.

Morning Star Supporters

Morning Star Supporters is a public Facebook group affiliated with the Communist Party of Britain. Members include Ray Walker .