YOU recently reported in your newspaper of the new clerk in Cwmbran Community Council and my husband and I would like to take this opportunity to say what a perfect gentleman the retiring clerk David Orphan is.

Both of us served as councillors and always found him innovative, compassionate, analytical and proactive.

He always welcomed you with a smile, no matter how busy he was and developed Cwmbran Community Council into one of the biggest and well-respected community councils in Wales.

He worked tirelessly all day and evenings for meetings, concerts, grants to associations, awards to people, going one step further in the community and all the events he organised, not forgetting the twinning of Cwmbran to Bruchshal in Germany.

Unfortunately, all this work culminated in ill health and his retirement.

We wish the new clerk all the best wishes, but he has enormous shoes to step into.

We are proud to call David a friend.

Sian and John Tulloch, Northville, Cwmbran