Tribute to Derek Jennings in Railfuture’s Railwatch Magazine

Issue 182, December 2024

RailFuture Yorkshire and North West branches are sad to report the death from cancer at the age of 89 of Derek Jennings, who for the past 20 years has been a leading member of the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership, which campaigns to reopen the 12-mile Skipton-Colne line.

Derek, who lived in Barrowford, Lancashire, was a founding member of the SELRAP campaignin2001. He had been a passionate and respected member of SELRAP’s executive committee ever since. Derek Jennings, who was always ready to campaign for SELRAP whatever the weather. Derek built up the individual membership of the campaign to approximately 500 members.

He was committed to campaigning to improve all local railways for the benefit of the local communities, and he also belonged to the East Lancashire Line Association. He was a volunteer at both Brierfield, Nelson and Colne stations on the East Lancashire line.

SELRAP’s media officer Jane Wood said that, as chair for many years, Derek steered the executive through many tough challenges, always with a very positive attitude. SELRAP founder and first chair Steve Broadbent described Derek as: “A dear friend and the nicest man you could ever meet.”