SELRAP’s Founding Chairman, Steve Broadbent, paid this Tribute to Derek Jennings during the funeral ceremony at the Cornerstone Church in Nelson on 11 November 2024.
Good morning, it is a great honour to be able to pay tribute to Derek Jennings in the church that he loved so much. Derek was a true and generous friend, who devoted so much of his life to improving both rail travel and his wider community.
He was truly a quintessential, christian, gentle man.
I laid the foundations of SELRAP early in 2001, and convened the first meeting, in Colne, in April of that year. Derek made his appearance at the second meeting, a month later, coming as a representative of STELLA, the rail user group for the East Lancashire Line.
Very soon, Derek took on the role of Membership Secretary, reporting to each meeting in his soft Lancashire accent as numbers rose past 100, 200, and eventually on to over 500 members - an enormous task.
After a few years, and when SELRAP’s fortunes were going through a trough, he took on the daunting role of Chairman, turning the group round and reviving its spirits.
Then, well into his 80s, he relinquished both the Chairmanship , and the Membership Secretary role, but he continued to be an active and wise Committee Member right up until the time of his passing. Indeed, in summer 2024 he once again rose to the challenges of Membership Secretary, and was also instrumental in organising a number of key meetings for the group with high-ranking politicians and officials.
In these later years our friendship developed and we embarked on some adventurous railway trips, something he loved doing, and together we went on the only train of the day to Heysham, the only train of the week across Lincolnshire, and when we went to Saltburn to ride on the cliff lift we found it closed for repairs. On each of these journeys he was wonderful company, and always first in the queue for a large plate of fish and chips.
We were planning a Big Adventure for mid-September to celebrate his 23 years of dedicated service to SELRAP, a trip which, sadly, never happened.
And of course, apart from his SELRAP commitments he had a busy involvement with church and community, and was also the ‘station adopter’ for Brierfield station, which he helped keep clean and tidy with weekly visits.
I am truly amazed how Derek, and others from those early years like David Penney, have taken my idea forward with incredible commitment.
David Penney has also been on the SELRAP committee since the very early days, and I can do no better in closing then to quote David's email, written on hearing of Derek's passing; “Derek was a truly great and honourable gentleman whose commitment, conscientiousness, consistency and contribution to the SELRAP Campaign cannot be matched, right from the start as one of the founding members of SELRAP in 2001. His presence and positive outlook on life will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”
He was, quite simply, the loveliest, kindest, old gentleman you could ever wish to meet.
David Penney adds to his Tribute by saying: " From an early age, Derek was passionate about Railways. He was born in Bury close to the railway. The sound of steam trains passing by fascinated him. Ran a model railway in his house and accumulated lots of Railway Pictures and Books over the years. We can sum up Derek's life as a Train Journey from start with stopping stations along the way to his final destination. SELRAP plans to erect a Memorial Plaque at one the Stations he looked after in Pendle."