A ceremony to officially unveil a bench on Brierfield station took place on Saturday 26 April 2025 to commemorate Derek Jennings, a keen friends of station volunteer and railway campaigner.
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- Pam Jennings and Family members – photo © Richard Watts
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- Friends of Pendle Stations – photo © Richard Watts
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- Group shot – photo © Richard Watts
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- Pam Jennings, Caroline Holden and Mike Cliffe – photo © Richard Watts
Pam Jennings said; “As a family, we have been and still are enormously proud of the never-ending work he undertook with SELRAP (Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership ), ELCRP, (East Lancashire Line Community Rail Partnership) and FOPS (Friends of Pendle Stations) over the years – they were all so close to his heart. To be able to see the plaque and bench today, and knowing they will still be there in the future, is an absolutely wonderful thing.”
Mike Cliffe, Chair of the East Lancashire Line Community Rail Partnership said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the friends, family and colleagues of Derek Jennings to Brierfield to unveil his memorial bench on the station’s platform. The bench provides a fitting memory to a gentleman who devoted so much to the railways of East Lancashire over so many years.”
In another ceremony earlier in the day SELRAP unveiled a plaque on Colne station to remember the work carried out by Derek for both STELLA (Save the East Lancashire Line Association) and SELRAP.
this is part of the tribute to Derek read out a Colne station:
We are gathered here today to pay Tribute to Derek for his many years of loyal service in promoting the value of railways to society. He grew up in Bury and one of the earliest sounds he heard was the noise of steam trains passing nearby.
When he retired to live in Barrowford, he soon joined STELLA, Save the East Lancashire Line Association, which campaigned to keep the line functioning as a viable service. The future of the line was secured when Lancashire County Council established the East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership. Derek was also very active as a volunteer Northern Rail Adopter, maintaining and enhancing Brierfield, Nelson and Colne Stations.
Derek was also one of the founding members of SELRAP, Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership. For over 23 years, Derek served in various capacities on the Executive, as Chair, and, for a long time, as Membership Secretary.