Andy grew up on the Fylde Coast, attending junior school in Blackpool and high school at Cardinal Allen in Fleetwood.
"I used to live on Westway by Rossall Hospital, we were among those flooded out in 1977! Growing up my summers were spent at the beach chalets by the Marine Hall, and with about 10 other families there was never a dull moment but plenty of memories made. My great-grandfathers were all involved with the Docks, the Railway, and the Home Guard in Fleetwood, so the Town runs through my blood."
After living and working in Frankfurt, Germany for 18 months, Andy returned to the UK and attended Manchester Metropolitan University where he read Business Management.
He worked all over the north-west during a 13 year career in banking with Lloyds Banking Group and it was here he was seconded for twelve months to Business in the Community – HRH The Prince of Wales’ responsible business network. He spent time on the Fylde Coast working closely with the community, business and local government to help communities prosper and become more sustainable.
Andy then left the bank to set up the Blackpool Pride of Place, which is a business-led partnership made up from the public, voluntary and private sector. Their mission is to promote economic development and tackle some of the Fylde Coast’s challenges. He works hard to lobby and campaign on regeneration locally and nationally, using the best of the public, private and voluntary sectors to achieve results.
Andy is a co-founder and trustee of the Magic Club in Claremont, Blackpool, a youth provision created to help make a difference and change the future for young people. It took almost two years to get up and running, nine months of which fundraising and converting an old building into something that the community – and especially young people – can be proud of.
Fast forward a couple of years and Andy has a bigger building and a bigger challenge ...
"I'm very proud to be involved with the Fleetwood Trust project to renovate the old Hospital and look forward to giving something back to the community when the building is finished. It is a huge challenge, but not insurmountable, and we have the right team in place to deliver!