It was with sadness that the Rochester Bridge Trust has heard of the death of Paul Harriott.
Until his retirement in 2023, Paul was one of the longest serving members of the Trust’s Court of Wardens and Assistants.
Bridge Clerk Sue Threader said: “Paul was a true stalwart, having been a Trustee for more than 40 years. He stepped down from the Court last year but still kept in touch because he clearly cared very much about his work, which included advising on the Rochester Bridge Refurbishment Project of 2019-20.”
Having initially been nominated to the Trust by Gillingham Borough Council in 1980, he later became one of the first appointed trustees from the community. Paul held the post of Junior Warden from 1988-89, and Senior Warden from 1989-90. He also served for many years on the Bridge Committee.
He took a keen interest in the community, serving on Gillingham Borough Council and then Medway Council when it was formed in 1998. He had also held the office of Mayor of Gillingham.
A retired professional and technology officer with the MoD (N), Paul was an active member of the Korean Veterans Association and enjoyed local history.
Sue added: “In honour of Paul’s work, last year the Trust was pleased to launch the Harriott Engineering Scholarship to support local people at the start of their engineering education. Applications are currently being reviewed and we will soon be ready to announce the first scholars. It’s a shame Paul will not be here to meet them because I’m sure he would have had some wise words to offer.”