IT’S 2023 and I’m signing my latest book, ‘Norman Rimmington – Forever one of our Own’, for customers at the Book Vault in Barnsley.
A tall guy, probably in his 50s, asks me to sign a copy and tells me how much he and his mother enjoy my books – particularly the humorous tales.
“Such flattery is like feeding sugar to a donkey,” I say, as I scribble my signature. He laughs and shakes my hand.
“I’m David Butterworth. I hail from Grimethorpe and have also lived in the town centre – not that far from you, Ronnie.”
“So, how do you spend your time, David?”
“I work for the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP).”
“Oh aye,” I say, impressed. “Sounds interesting. What do you do?”
David lowers his voice slightly and says, “I’m the chief executive officer.”
“Chief executive officer? Wow! Listen David: we’ll have to meet up in town for a drink and a chat because I want to know more.”
David replies: “Yes, I’ll look forward to it and if you ever want me to promote your books, just let me know.”
A few weeks later we meet up for a coffee, which extends to a second cup, then a third. The only thing that drags me away is the fear of over-running my parking time.
I discover his father was a face-worker at Grimethorpe Colliery and he attended St Michael’s Roman Catholic School on the southern edge of Athersley South.
He explains: “I didn’t pull up many trees at school but I was always grateful for the encouragement of a certain teacher – a Mr Ian Beasley. And I’m reluctant to admit it but I sometimes played truant so I could spend time in Barnsley Central Library, reading up on current affairs. I loved that place!”
David describes his aimlessness after leaving school but when he did find a permanent job, it was in local government at Barnsley Town Hall. From there, two people in particular had a huge influence on his career: John Tidball at Barnsley College, and one of the officers in local government, Ken Rutt.
“I must have shown some promise because Ken pestered my life out to attend certain career-development courses.
“’Thanks Ken, but no thanks,’” I would say, “but Ken was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and I’m grateful for his persistence because it turned out to be one of the best moves of my life.”
When I ask David about his time living on Richard Street, behind the Trades Hall, I discover he was a Labour Party member, in the South-West Ward, at the same time as me. We spend ages discussing mutual friends like the wonderful Colin Hands and his wife, Marjorie, and the charismatic former Barnsley councillor, Rob McCormack.
Three weeks ago, Darren Hayes, the CCO at Oakwell, allowed me and Dai Bradley to talk to the Oakwell crowd about our latest Kes project. It was a thrilling experience but, as I finished my address, I heard a voice shouting from the Ponty End.
“Ronnie! Ronnie!”
It was David, wearing his familiar baseball cap, giving me the thumbs up and smiling. I’d forgotten he has a season ticket.
Just a few weeks ago David retired from his post as CEO at Yorkshire Dales National Park. He’s the longest serving chief executive officer of any English National Park in history. Not bad for a lad from Barnsley who didn’t particularly like school and took a long time to find his niche in the world of work.
A few weeks ago I asked him to do a presentation, about his life and work, to a Barnsley Civic Trust public meeting. Last Thursday, he fulfilled that commitment by showing slides and talking for a full hour in the Town Hall.
One anecdote he related was about a close colleague who died of leukaemia. The man’s widow, eager to raise money for the cause, created a calendar from photographs of mature female friends in alluring attire. After the concept was turned into the film ‘Calendar Girls’ David was invited to a celebration and found himself sitting beside Julie Walters and opposite Helen Mirren.
“The whole event was surreal,” he told the audience.
David’s presentation was interesting, modest, and peppered with humour. The listeners burst into sustained applause at the end, making me realise that many Barnsley students would also benefit enormously from hearing David’s story.
