Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) has announced that Derek Jennings, one of its founding members, has sadly passed away.

In 2001, a group of like-minded individuals established the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership with the aim of campaigning for the re-opening of the 12-mile stretch railway line from Skipton to Colne.

It has since grown to be one of the most country’s influential rail campaigning groups and now has over 500 individual members and affiliates.

Derek was among the founding members of SELRAP, and continued to remain involved as a conscientious, passionate, and very well-respected member of its Executive Committee.

In recent years Derek remained actively involved with SELRAP in the vitally important role of membership secretary, and through his efforts the individual membership of the campaign has increased to approximately 500 members.

Many of SELRAP’s supporters had grown to know Derek very well.

He had remained actively involved with the group, and over the last few months, he had been instrumental in arranging important meetings for the group.

Derek was passionate about campaigning to improve all local railways for the benefit of the local communities.

As well as his dedication to the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership, he also belonged to the East Lancashire Line Association (STELLA) and through that organisation volunteered to look after Brierfield and Nelson stations on the East Lancashire Line.

Last year, Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership campaigners met with Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh MP to put the case for reopening the Skipton to Colne railway line.

Before this year’s general election, the former Rail Minister Huw Merriman agreed to talk to Red Wall MPs as part of the group’s efforts to reopen the Skipton to Colne railway line.

“As our chair for many years, Derek had steered the executive through many tough challenges, always with a very positive attitude.
“Derek was a dear friend and the nicest man you could ever meet.”

Steve Broadbent, SELRAP’s founder and first chair

“Everyone at SELRAP will miss Derek very much, especially his thoughtful and wise approach to community campaigning. We remain committed to completing the Skipton-to-Colne project which he, and others, founded all of those years ago.
“Our thoughts are with his family, and many friends, at this sad time.”