HARLOW Conservatives have bade farewell to three party stalwarts following a series of deaths.

The Harlow Constituency Conservative Association paid tribute to Rose Dixon MBE, Bryan Barry and Charles Hill.

Mrs Dixon had been active in the organisation in the 1970s and 1980s, holding down all key positions in the association at various times.

She was awarded an MBE for political and public service in 1990.

Former Conservative MP Jerry Hayes said: 'Rose was the embodiment of the traditional Tory woman, fiercely loyal, hard working and who would have you agreeing toi do things before you realised it.'

Mr Barry was a Conservative councillor in Mark Hall North for four years, having been elected on May 11, 1968.

He became leader of the Conservative group and gained a fierce reputation for the quality of his debating skills in the council chamber.

Parkinson's disease forced Mr Barry to retire from politics, but he continued working with charities and not-for-profit organisations to support fellow sufferers.

He founded and became first chairman of the Harlow and District Parkinson's Disease Society in 1987, rewarded with an Honorary Life Membership of the national organisation in 1997.

Conservative party chairman Simon Carter said: 'Bryan was a selfless individual, displaying exceptional courage in his later years, who put more into society than he took.'

Mr Hill, was also buried last week, leaving a legacy as a Conservative councillor in Kingsmoor in the 1960s and 1970s.