Dickie Bird celebrates his 80th
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:33:00 BST
Dickie Bird’s 80th birthday luncheon at the University of Huddersfield
Pictured above celebrating his 80th birthday is former cricket umpire Dickie Bird [right] with the University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan
LEGENDS of soccer and two top police officers were among the VIP guests when the University of Huddersfield hosted an 80th birthday luncheon for Barnsley’s Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird, the Yorkshire cricketer who became the best-known umpire in the history of the game.
Dickie has well-established links with the University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2008 and has played a key part at several events – for example, at the start of the year he performed the ceremonial ground-breaking for a new £22.5 million Learning and Leisure Centre at the Queensgate Campus in Huddersfield.
Pictured below with Dickie Bird [centre] are [l-r] Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan, former Leeds United footballer Trevor Cherry, Sir Lawrence Byford, a Huddersfield police chief who later became president of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and former Manchester City footballer Mike Summerbee.
The celebratory luncheon was held on Thursday 18 April, the day before Dickie Bird turned 80-years-old and was hosted by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan.
Among the celebrity guests were the former England international footballers Mike Summerbee, who starred for Manchester City, and Huddersfield-born Trevor Cherry, a Leeds United legend. Dickie Bird is a keen football fan and showed promise at the game himself until he concentrated on cricket.
The guest list also includes Sir Lawrence Byford, a Yorkshire policeman who rose to become Chief Inspector of Constabulary and President of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Also at the luncheon was Keith Hellawell, the Huddersfield-born former police officer who became Chief Constable of West Yorkshire and earned a high national profile as the ‘Drugs Czar’ for Tony Blair’s government.
Despite his globetrotting life, Dickie Bird remains dedicated to Barnsley, and the town’s Mayor, Cllr Dorothy Higginbottom, was also a guest at the lunch as was famous Yorkshire designer Rita Britton, who put Barnsley on the fashion map with her designer fashion outlet, Pollyanna.
Dickie celebrates with friends and VIP guests at the university
Pictured above [l-r] with Dickie Bird (seated) are Philip Akroyd, Peter Butler (Council Member), Rita Britton, John Britton (son), David Dinmore MBE (Deputy Lieutenant, WY), Kevin Sharp and Edmund Thornhill.
Pictured above [l-r] with Dickie Bird (seated) are Keith Dibb, Peter Ackroyd MBE (Deputy Lieutenant, WY), Mrs Kathleen Hazell, Norman Hazell MBE, Cllr Dorothy Higginbottom (Mayor of Barnsley) Andrew McConnell and Ronnie King.
Pictured above [l-r] with Dickie Bird (seated) are Robin Smith (Deputy Lieutenant, WY), Richard Moore, Mrs Christine Moore, Mrs Kate Mehta, Mr Sep Mehta, Keith Lodge and Keith Griffiths (Director of Finance, Calderdale & Hudds NHS Trust).
Pictured above [l-r] with Dickie Bird (seated) are Trevor Cherry, Colin Blair, Sir Lawrence Byford, Ted Cowley, Mrs Christine Cowley, Eric Nicholls (Council Member), Mike Summerbee and University's Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan.
