John Dickinson appointed Chair of new East Lancashire Community Foundation

John is a Director of IDC Architecture, an architecture practice based in Accrington. He went to school in Blackburn, where neither his primary nor secondary schools played rugby, and only took up the game aged twenty after a friend from his cricket club persuaded him down to Blackburn to give rugby a try. He went on to play for the best part of twenty years. He later served as club Chairman and chaired the Blackburn Youth Zone / Blackburn Rugby Club Beer Festival committee in its early days. His wife is head of a primary school in Accrington.

As Chair, John will lead a board of trustees drawn from across the five partner clubs Blackburn, Burnley, Clitheroe, Colne & Nelson and Rossendale with responsibility for the Foundation's governance, strategy and long-term sustainability.

"I grew up in Blackburn and didn't know a rugby club existed until I was twenty. There were lads I went to school with who'd have loved it, nobody ever told them or gave them the opportunity. That's what this Foundation is for, getting into schools and communities where the invitation has never been made. Rugby is the way in, but what it really offers is belonging, activity and people looking out for you. Every one of our five towns should have that."

The Foundation begins delivering its school and community programmes across all five areas from September.