Sir Ken is among the Yorkshire Icons

SIR Ken Morrison has been included in the augural Yorkshire Icons Hall of Fame.

The chairman of Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons was among seven Yorkshire people from the past and present who were inducted as Yorkshire Icons at a gala dinner at the Yorkshire Bank headquarters in Leeds last night.

The veteran grocer, who over the last five decades has taken his parents' market stall and created the fourth largest supermarket chain in the UK, joined York-born actress Dame Judi Dench, Barnsley chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson, the late Yorkshire and England cricket legend Fred Trueman, charity fundraiser Jane Tomlinson who died last year, and 19th century anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce as the first seven Yorkshire Icons.

The Yorkshire Icons Community Initiative has been launched by Yorkshire Bank, the Yorkshire Society, ITV Yorkshire, Marketing Leeds and the Yorkshire Post as a not-for-profit initiative which will celebrate the achievements of successful Yorkshire people from all walks of life in order to provide motivational and inspirational examples for young people.

A new website has been launched, www.yorkshire-icons.com developed by Wakefield-based xperience, which provides everything from information and film about the inaugural Yorkshire Icons to lists of high achievers from across the Broad Acres.

“From the Arctic Monkeys to Ernie Wise,” was how xperience managing director Andy Bevan described the range of icons included on the site.

The site also includes a juke box where music by Yorkshire singers and bands including Joe Cocker and Embrace can be played.

Embrace band members Danny and Richard McNamara from Huddersfield, attended the black tie dinner at Yorkshire Bank's HQ which has undergone a £9m refurbishment.

Among the guests were Fred Trueman's Yorkshire and England colleague Brian Close and county cricketers Anthony McGrath and Richard Blakey, Baroness Lockwood and Lord St Oswald as well as leaders from Yorkshire business, the arts, charities and the media.

Collecting his award from Yorkshire Forward chairman Terry Hodgkinson, Sir Ken Morrison told the audience that the year he was born must have been a “vintage year” because Fred Trueman and Brian Close were also born then.

He said he had “no formal qualifications” but had learned about the business through “hard experience”.

Sir Ken urged new Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber, Rosie Winterton, who gave the keynote address at the event, to visit his home city of Bradford to see how it was developing.

Mr Hodgkinson reminded the audience that when Sir Ken floated Morrisons on the Stock Exchange in 1967 it was 174 times oversubscribed as more than 80,000 investors clamoured for shares.

Dame Judi Dench sent a message from the film set where she is currently filming the new James Bond movie while Sir Michael Parkinson accepted the award on a video filmed in Australia where he is currently on holiday. He said he was proud he was involved in making the first documentary ever shown on Yorkshire Television 40 years ago.

Fred Trueman's award was collected by his widow Veronica while the late Jane Tomlinson's husband Mike collected her award and said that the 10km race in Leeds which she set up has already had almost 11,000 runners sign up for it more than four months before it is held.

William Wilberforce's award was collected by his descendant William Wilberforce V.

Judith Donovan, chairman of Yorkshire Tourist Board, presented painter Ashley Jackson – who was born in Penang but moved to Barnsley as a child – with his award.

His paintings are owned by the likes of Bill Clinton and one hangs in the NATO headquarters.

Glenn King, director of Yorkshire Bank, said: “This evening recognises and celebrates the very best of Yorkshire grown talent from the worlds of politics, business, sport and entertainment. With some 150 years successful growth in Yorkshire, we greatly value our talented people which made this such an fantastic event to be involved with. I look forward to seeing who the public nominates for future entrants to the 'Hall of Fame'.”

Keith Madeley, chairman of Yorkshire Society, said: “It is important that we recognise the breadth and depth of talent that Yorkshire has produced over the years. Today's talent will provide an inspiration for the talent of tomorrow.”

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