David Blurton - Obituary
It is with great sadness that we have to announce the sudden passing of David Blurton. David was a devoted husband to his lovely wife Maureen and a great friend to many.
Prior to his retirement from NALEO in 2016, David had worked for over 30 years in the public sector, including working as Licensing Officer with Conwy Council and Principal Transportation Officer with Wrexham County Borough Council managing both school and social services transport.
He served NALEO in a variety of roles for well over 20 years. David never sought a "front of house" role, preferring to work quietly and steadfastly in the background in support of other people. He always had the best interests of NALEO and Licensing at heart and spent many years as Hon. Treasurer, taking particular care over the Association's finances. They could not have been in better hands. It would honestly be impossible to calculate the number of unpaid hours he worked in the interests of others. Many of you will have fond memories of the National Training Courses held at Daventry in which David played a key role in organising. If ever the Association needed a skilled negotiator, David was your man! He always managed to secure a good deal which helped to keep the costs as low as possible.
David had dedicated the last few years of his work for the Association to running the Qualifications Programme for NALEO and gave invaluable help and advice to those Officers undergoing the Awards Programme both with Pearson/Edexcel and then with Highfield Awarding Body. It is thanks to his knowledge of the Awards system and attention to detail that dozens of Officers have now achieved their nationally accredited Awards.
This has proved vital to many of the Officers who now have a clear progression route for their careers in licensing/enforcement/regulatory activities. Without his total dedication, this would not have been possible, and so many people really do owe him a great deal, although he himself, would never say so - he would say he was just doing his job.
When he did allow himself time off work, he loved to photograph steam trains and wildlife. He was a brilliant amateur photographer with a natural eye for an outstanding picture. He was renowned for his impish sense of humour and was always the life and soul of any party, in fact, if anyone had a birthday pending, David was the first to order the cake! This sometimes caused him problems if he needed to hide it from view, often saying he had hidden the cake in the bath or under his bed!
David was a true friend who could always be relied upon in good times and bad. It will be impossible to replace such a huge character, but one thing is certain, he will always be remembered with love and affection, and gratitude from those fortunate enough to have been able to call him a friend.
