Tributes paid to 'tenacious' and 'bold' city trailblazer

[dutchman]

A founding member of Coventry's West Indian club, Hugh Hay got an MBE for his community work



The daughter of a key figure in Coventry's history has paid tribute to her "tenacious and bold" father.

A well-known face in the city, Hugh Hay was a skilled community negotiator and paved the way for much change in Coventry.

Speaking to CoventryLive, his daughter Annette Hay described a man deeply troubled by injustice, the 'go-to' mediator, who was moved to help many in the pursuit of justice.

Mr Hay worked as a volunteer for decades, supporting local people at employment tribunals, and those with housing issues.

He was part of the Home Office Advisory Council on Race Relations, and was instrumental in ensuring the interests of Coventry's under represented communities remained on the national agenda.

He featured heavily in the Coventry Telegraph over the years too, and was on the front page after receiving his MBE in the late 1970s.

Born in Portland, Jamaica, in 1932, Hugh came to Coventry in 1958, settling in Cheylesmore with his wife Joyce. He was one of 18 children, but only 12 of them survived early childhood.

He had seven children, some of whom lived back in Jamaica.

His day job was as a factory worker at Coventry GEC (General Electric Company), but his vocation and "reason for existence" as daughter Annette described, was the fight for social equality, particularly at a time when race relations were tenuous. His work was recognised in the late 1970s when he received an MBE for his community work.

In addition to his work on the Home Office Advisory Council on Race Relations, Mr Hay volunteered on the Glen Parva Borstal Board of Visitors supporting troubled young people, Coventry Area Health Authority, Police Authority Committee, and Coventry West Indian Club board to name a few.

[dutchman]

I never understood why the West Indian Club was sited in Spon End when there were hardly any West Indians living in the area at the time? The council's own records show there was a much bigger need for a youth shelter and still is.