Mike Holness: Former councillor was deeply involved in Maidenhead community

A former borough councillor who was committed to improving the lives of others has died after a short illness.

Mike Holness passed away unexpectedly at Wexham Park Hospital on February 9. He was 81.

Mike had served two terms as a Liberal Democrat councillor representing Boyn Hill ward from 2003-2011, though he stood to serve his community rather than for political reasons.

His support of many Maidenhead organisations saw him deeply involved in the life of the town, while his membership of Maidenhead Rotary Club twice took him and his wife Frankie to India to help with immunising children against polio and building check dams.

Mike’s family lived in Margate but, due to the war, pregnant women were evacuated to Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where Mike was born in 1942 as the second oldest of four children. Shortly after, they returned to Margate where he grew up with his three sisters.

He won a scholarship to Sir Roger Manwood’s Grammar School in Sandwich, Kent, after which he completed an engineering apprenticeship with British European Airways (BEA) and gained a degree from City University.

He specialised in wind tunnels and also learned Russian while at university, which resulted in him inviting Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, to the UK to give a talk at British Airways.

Mike worked for the airline for more than 33 years, his career spanning the merger of BEA with BOAC to become British Airways.

After his engineering apprenticeship, he moved to Operational Research, a very innovative department at the time, where he met Frankie, and later in his career was promoted to senior management.

He also became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

He moved to Maidenhead in February 1972 and married Frankie in June the same year. They were married for just over 51 years.

The couple have three children – Ben, Tom, and Vicky – and two grandchildren, Oliver and Neave.

Mike and Frankie travelled a lot from the time they met right up until the COVID-19 pandemic. After retiring, he worked in a consulting capacity with BA and other airlines but also threw himself into the local community.

He and Frankie started
volunteering at Norden Farm from when the arts centre opened in 2000. He was active with the Workers’ Education Association (WEA), a charity providing adult education, from 2011.

He took part in many classes, joined the committee and helped with the provision of equipment and the design and printing of leaflets, something he also did for many other organisations.

Mike served as chairman of governors at Altwood School in the 1990s and was an active Rotarian from 1996, serving terms as both president and secretary
of Maidenhead Rotary Club and was also the club
historian.

Through Rotary he was a founding member of Maidenhead U3A. He was also involved in setting up his local Neighbourhood Watch and was a co-ordinator for the Boyn Hill area.

Mike was also a champion of Grenfell Park, both while he was a councillor and
afterwards. He suggested the installation of the adult gym and table tennis equipment, and helped the current cafe to get set up.

A keen environmentalist, he was a great supporter of Wild Maidenhead and Heal Rewilding – a charity that buys land to restore it to its natural habitat – and was active in setting up and running litter-picking initiatives.

His family said: “He was kind, supportive, and able to help us with every situation no matter what it was. He was very knowledgeable and enjoyed educating himself on a wide range of subjects. He listened, gave good advice, and could repair anything. We all loved him to bits – he couldn’t have been a better husband, dad, and grandfather. We will miss him greatly.”

Mike is survived by his wife Frankie, sister Felicity, three children and two grandchildren.