‘I was homeless and slept in my car | Manchester News

It was 2012 when David Edwardes found himself with nowhere to go and ended up sleeping in his car.

He returned to Cheshire after being unable to make a living with his family in Spain.

With nowhere to stay and being “more or less broke”, he said he slept in the vehicle in Macclesfield Forest, an area of woodland and reservoirs in the hills above the town.

Now, 13 years later he has just been elected as the mayor of Cheshire East by his fellow councillors.

“I came back to the UK with my tail between my legs, I just couldn’t make a living in Spain and we were there a long time,” he told Politics North West.

“I couldn’t find anywhere to live or stay and I came up here and parked up one weekend and stayed there and slept in the car”.

Here was a small parking area next to Ridgegate Reservoir.

It is a beautiful spot surrounded by greenery and nature, and Edwardes said it was “very peaceful”, although he did get questioned by a local police officer following reports of a stolen vehicle.

“A councillor who I went to school with contacted me and said ‘I’ll find a place for you’ and he found a place in a friend of his’ house. I stayed there until I got more or less sorted out,” he said.

He has done various roles over the years, including working at his family business making curtains, running pubs and acting as an extra.

But it was a play area that led to him deciding to enter politics.

“If there’s a catalyst, there was a play area in Tytherington and it was dreadful,” he said.

“There were the officials standing there, grinning away and saying how marvellous it was and the local people in Tytherington were really upset about it, and I thought ‘I think I can do better than that'”, he said.

“I don’t know quite how I’ve become mayor of Cheshire East Council, but it happened anyway.”

He credited a bit of “luck”, adding: “If I’m totally honest with you, I’m not politically driven, I’m an independent.

“It’s a very nice job that I’m enjoying, but it is only for a year”.

Edwardes said he was reminded of a comment from one of his friends from his local pub.

“He says ‘money’s not important in life, the important thing is to be lucky’, and I like to think I’ve just been fortunate with the way things have gone.”

So what do his friends in the pub think about him being mayor now?

“They take the mickey out of me and they go ‘hey mayor, hey mayor’,” he said, adding that they do also bow to him in a jokey way.

“They never give me any sort of hassle or problems about the bins or if there’s a pothole, they leave me alone.”

He was elected mayor at Cheshire East’s full council meeting earlier this month.

During his time in the position, he said he wanted to meet everyone in the borough who turns 100.

“I don’t know if it’s possible but I thought it can’t be a huge amount of people who reach 100,” he said.

“But I don’t know and I’ll probably be inundated with them.”

Edwardes said the reason he did what he did was because of his love of the local area.

“I just love Macclesfield, I love every cobbled street and every house, and all the people are fantastic and it’s the same with the borough, I just love the whole of Cheshire East.

“It’s a lovely, lovely place.”