BILL Punt, the long-time champion of pensioners and retired folk in Lydney and Gloucester, is retiring from his post as secretary of the Gloucester branch of the Transport and General Retired Members' Association.

Bill is also retiring as secretary of the Lydney branch of the British Pensioners and Trades Union Action Association, an organisation he formed in 1982.

But after he received a presentation from his friend and hero former union leader Jack Jones this week he stayed on in the Gloucester president's role and vowed to continue to stand up for pensioners' rights.

"It's time somebody else had a go," he told the Review. "It has been a long time, but with the Forum too it is a lot of work."

His association with Lydney goes back even further than Gloucester. He had heard that Jack Jones was in Bristol and in his own words "decided to take a go at it" and hired a room at the Victoria Centre for £5, inviting Mr Jones along.

"I expected maybe ten or 11 people to come along but when Jack Jones arrived he could hardly get in the room. There were people standing outside, everywhere.

"Then somebody shout-ed out 'greedy pensioners' and that was that – there was uproar. They were chased out of the room and I heard one lady chased them down the road waving an umbrella.

"We ended up signing 53 members. I would never have expected that – all because that person shouted out."

Some four years later he started the BPTUAA in Gloucester, then a few years ago he launched the Gloucestershire Pensioners' Forum. Besides being present at all events concerning pensioners he has worked tirelessly behind the scenes, among other things sending a virtual torrent of letters to the press on retired people's rights and needs.

"I have been a stranger in a strange land to some extent here in Lydney. People always said it was hard get along with Forest people, but they were wrong. People are people. You just have to stop and listen."

Jack Jones, recently retired president of the National Pensioners' Convention and one time general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Association, was joined at Tuesday's presentation by mayor of Gloucester Terry Haines.