We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Sharp.
His funeral will be held at St Mary's Church on Thursday 24th April commencing at 11.00am
Steve has been a huge contributor to the Haddenham community, through his role as an active parish councillor for over 12 years, a founding trustee of Haddenham Community Library, a trustee of Haddenham Museum and Haddenham Parochial Charities and a keen local historian. He was also a former member of the Village Society committee and a loyal supporter of the Society's public meetings.
The following tribute has been written by Alan Rose and Bruce Alexander, on behalf of the Haddenham Museum Trust
Steve was a trustee of Haddenham Museum for 21 years.Firstly looking after a group that held meetings for public talks on Haddenham's rich history, then in 2006 the three of us sat at Steve's kitchen table and hatched the idea of the Haddenham Chronicles.It was obvious only he could be Editor.
In 2014 he took on the role of Vice-Chairman of the Museum, following Gerald Stonley's retirement, before finally becoming its Secretary.
Steve's firm and friendly persistence in persuading local experts to write articles and meet deadlines paid off in a whole series of wonderful and even quirky articles to a high standard of research. Issue 22 of the Chronicles is now with the printers and will be on sale from 3 May. It includes, as so often, an introduction by him and one of his own articles. Steve energised others right until the last when he so sadly "fell off his cliff".
The time he gave to the Museum and Chronicles is just part of all he undertook so diligently for our village.He will be greatly missed as friend and historian.
The following tribute has been kindly provided by Tim Mosley and Susan Toner, on behalf of the Haddenham Community Library Trust:
It is thanks to people like Steve that anyone living in Haddenham and surrounding villages today can continue to enjoy the benefits of a thriving local library. Steve was instrumental in the saving of the library for the community in Haddenham when it was threatened with closure by the County Council in 2011. Steve stepped up to bring together a volunteer working group which set about formulating plans to save the valuable local resource and create what became known as Haddenham Community Library (HCL).
He led the community's lengthy negotiations with the Council to eventually agree a working partnership in 2012 in which HCL was formed. It became a charitable company and took over responsibility for the management of the library business. The Council agreed to provide a funding grant and a seconded manager to lead a team of local volunteers who would staff the library to carry out the day-to-day work.
Steve went on to ensure the development of a strong working relationship with the Council throughout his time as the first Chair of the Board of Trustees. He was personally responsible for bringing in vital additional funding support over and above the Council grant. His career with the Council as a senior manager in education gave him a wealth of knowledge and extensive network of contacts in the local authority that he used to the benefit of the library's development and profile.
He eventually stepped down as Chair in November 2019 but remained as a trustee until 2021.
His patience and good humour were an example to all who worked with him. He was a tenacious and subtle negotiator who championed all aspects of the library services HCL offered. Its standing today is a testament to the huge amount of work he put into its establishment .We will always be grateful for his significant contribution in ensuring that the library survived to become the vibrant community hub that it is today.
