A much-admired politician, singer and poet, who sat on a number of Cornish councils, has died at the age of 69.

Ruth Lewarne has been described by Andrew George, Lib Dem MP for St Ives, Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, as a “talented, gutsy and passionate campaigner”.

Ruth – who has also been called a formidable woman with the “voice of an angel” – was an active councillor from the early 1990s on Penwith District Council, Penzance Town Council, Cornwall County Council and then Cornwall Council until 2013. She was also renowned in the Penwith area for being a vibrant character within the music and arts scene.

She grew up in Hayle and attended Penzance Girls Grammar School before moving to London in the early 1970s. She returned to raise her children, Rory and Esther, and settled in Heamoor, Penzance. Later in life she published a book of poetry and a novel, The Vampire of the Resistance, before illness forced her to curtail her activities.

Ruth, pictured right holding the banner, campaigned to save Bolitho hospital in Penzance.
Ruth, pictured right holding the banner, campaigned to save Bolitho hospital in Penzance (Submitted)

She is survived by Rory, Esther and her beloved grandchildren Naomi, Louis, Ezra, Freddie and Theo.

Rory said: “My mother, who has died aged 69 in Leeds, was a local politician in Penzance for two decades. She was well known for her commitment to public services and to keeping as much of Cornwall free and open for local people as possible. When the Jubilee Pool reopened in the 1990s, one of the things she was proudest of was securing a very cheap spectator ticket so poorer people who weren’t swimming could also enjoy it.

“During her political journey, she changed parties twice without ever compromising her socialist principles. She began as a Labour councillor, before being forced out under Blair and joining first Mebyon Kernow then Andrew George’s Liberal Democrats. She was also a singer, a poet and could often be seen performing at open mic nights and other events.

“She always loved Cornwall, especially areas such as Battery Rocks, the Hayle Towans and the coastal footpath.”

Much-respected singer, poet and former councillor Ruth Lewarne has died aged 69.
Much-respected singer, poet and former councillor Ruth Lewarne has died aged 69 (LDRS)

Alan Shepherd, director of the Golowan Festival, is a friend and former colleague. He said: “Ruth Lewarne was a formidable woman with whom it was a privilege to work and to play. She was passionate in her support for the issues and people she believed in – a fervent campaigner and a fearsome adversary.

“She may have changed her political colours over the years but never her views and having first met her as a fellow trustee at Penwith Community Development Trust, I had the pleasure of debating many issues with her over the years – particularly in the area of social housing, a cause to which she was intensely committed.

“The flipside to this ardent campaigner was a beautiful, gentle soul with the voice of an angel and a passion for poetry. In Penzance, whether in the Farmer’s Arms on a Sunday afternoon or in The Crown on a Monday evening, her singing would, over the years, entrance audiences with the purity of her voice and the power of her poetry.

“She was a true friend and losing her leaves a big hole in Sunday at the Farmer’s and a massive hole in the lives of those who were lucky enough to have known her.”

Andrew George adds: “Ruth was a talented, gutsy and passionate campaigner. I first met her when she had a leading role in the successful protest to save Bolitho hospital, which included, as I recollect, an occupation of the building by a group of women including Sue Luscombe, as she was then.

“She was an active councillor from the early 1990s on Penwith District, Penzance Town Council and Cornwall County and Cornwall Council till 2013, when she became one of many casualties of the way the Liberal Democrats were perceived to have acted in coalition with the Conservatives in government. Otherwise I’m sure she would have carried on, providing our area with the benefit of a political leader who you could always have confidence in that she would do the right thing and for the good of local people and the environment.

“Ruth was bright, sharp-witted, well-informed, articulate and had outstanding political intuition. She was driven by a keen sense of her responsibility to combat social, gender and environmental injustices wherever she confronted them. Ruth was always prepared to speak up when others wavered. She naturally engaged her audience, through her passion and values.

“She was also admired for her beautiful singing voice. Ruth is much missed.”