Cumberland Council has paid tribute to a highly respected long-serving employee.
Ken Bruce worked for the council in the Highways team and served the community from the year 2000 onwards before he sadly passed away during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Highways teams could not attend the funeral due to lockdown restrictions at the time, so to pay their respects, they frequently visited the crematorium with some of the vehicles Ken used to drive.
The visits served as a way for the team to honour Ken’s memory and offer their support to his family.
During this time, Ken’s daughter Nic met with some of the team members at the crematorium and went on to contact Karl Melville, the assistant director of highways and transport, to thank the team for their kind messages, well wishes and visits to the crematorium.
The team then made a collective decision to honour Ken’s dedicated years of service by placing an art sketch of a chainsaw on an out-of-hours response vehicle.
The out-of-hours response role had been Ken’s main area of work, and the team believed that incorporating one of his favourite tools, the chainsaw, would serve as a fitting tribute.
Karl Melville, Assistant Director of Highways and Transport, said: “Ken was an integral member of the Highways team, contributing significantly to the success and reputation of the department.
“His dedication, expertise, and work ethic made him highly respected among his colleagues. Even though he is no longer with us, Ken’s impact and influence continue to be felt in numerous conversations regarding his accomplishments and the valuable insights he would have provided.
“It is evident that Ken’s absence is deeply felt by many, and this tribute is the very least we can do to honour him.”
Nic Grierson, Ken’s daughter, added:“This is a perfect tribute to an amazing man. It is lovely to hear that he has touched so many hearts and has not been forgotten. I cannot thank the council enough for doing this.”
