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TRUSTEES
Les Smith (See Executive's Page)
Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird M.B.E.
President of The Dickie Bird Foundation
Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird is arguably the most famous umpire in the history of the game of cricket. He was born in 1933 and raised in Barnsley, Yorkshire, into a mining family.
Times were never easy in the days of Dickie's childhood and youth. His Father spent his last few shillings buying cricket equipment and football boots to enable Dickie to follow his passion for sport. He is a great advocate of the family unit and knows firsthand the tremendous support and enormous sacrifices his parents made to ensure he was able to follow his destiny. Dickie is also acutely aware of the problems of the many young people who do not have the security of a family which he had. He recognises the value of belonging which sport has to offer these young people and this has also been a major factor in his decision to create the Foundation.
Dickie went on to play Cricket for both Yorkshire and Leicestershire between 1956 and 1964, scoring over 3000 first class runs, before turning his attention to umpiring. He umpired his first Test Match in 1973 and finally called it a day on an emotional day at Lords in June 1996. He umpired 68 Test Matches, 92 one day International Matches, 4 World Cup Finals, The Queens Silver Jubilee Test at Trent Bridge between England v Australia in 1977 and The Centenary Test match between England v Australia in 1980. Dickie is known, and held in great esteem, throughout the world on four cricketing continents and the West Indies.
In 1977 he was voted Yorkshire Personality of the Year, Yorkshire Man of the Year and People of the Year Awards in 1996, and has Honorary Doctorates at Hallam and Leeds Universities. Dickie was made a Freeman of the Borough of Barnsley in June 2000. He has numerous Life Memberships including the MCC, Yorkshire and Leicester County Cricket Clubs, Barnsley Football Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club.
Since his retirement, Dickie has become a best-selling author writing six books between 1968 and 2002, chat show guest and after-dinner speaker. He still lives in Barnsley and continues to take an active interest, now as a spectator, in his beloved Yorkshire County Cricket Club and is seen at most home matches at Oakwell watching his home town football team. He continues to give his time to local charities and good causes, opening events and through numerous speaking engagements.
He understands the problems of children who find themselves in financially strained domestic circumstances. He has as his ambition to ensure that every child in the country has an equal opportunity to take part in the sport of their choice, irrespective of their background or upbringing.
Dickie received his M.B.E. from the Queen in June 1986.
Dickie aims to raise "the finger of fate" on inequality in sport in the UK through the establishment of his Foundation.
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Barry White
Born in 1972, Barry is from Coleraine in Northern Ireland but now lives in Pudsey with his wife Vanessa.
A huge sports fan, Barry is a former track sprinter who, before picking up a serious leg injury, also played rugby union for Northumberland and the North of England at colts level.
In recent years he has competed in countless 10km road races to raise money for charity and simply to keep fit. He completed the Great North Run in 2004 and, in 2008, will take part in the London Marathon in aid of children with heart disorders.
Barry is a keen Arsenal football supporter, a genuine Boston Red Sox baseball fan and a proud member of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He saw his first Test Match in 1986 – England v New Zealand at Lord’s – where Dickie was in the middle and, needless to say, it rained!
Aside from sport, politics is his other great passion. He ran the Westminster office of former Ulster Unionist Leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble in the House of Commons for six years.
He currently serves as political adviser to Cllr Kris Hopkins, the Leader of Bradford Council.
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Tom Richmond
Tom Richmond is the journalistic equivalent of a cricket umpire - he is chief leader writer of the Yorkshire Post, responsible for the newspaper's daily verdicts on world events, as well as being a regular columnist.
But, while politics is his day job, he is a lifelong sports enthusiast in his spare time, whether watching cricket, following ice hockey or losing money pursuing his love for National Hunt racing.
He became a trustee of The Dickie Bird Foundation in the Autumn of 2007 in order to give something back to sport.
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Wendy Kestin
Profile to Follow
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Garry Keyworth
Garry was born and bred in Sheffield. After leaving school in 1987 and a short time on the Youth Training Scheme on the Railway in South Yorkshire Garry started working on the railway in London. After some 14 years in London and Sussex, Garry moved back to South Yorkshire in November 2002 and now works at Barnsley Railway Station.
An avid cricket fan, Garry goes to as many matches as possible during the season. Garry got involved with The Dickie Bird Foundation at the Harrogate Cricket Club event in July 2006.
A keen photographer, Garry can be found snapping away at Foundation events, so watch out for your picture on his website
Garry feel strongly that the children need the chance to become our sports stars of tomorrow and that we need to give them the opportunities to do this.
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