MP's Charity Dinner with guest speaker Sir Bill Cash

Date published: 07 October 2017

The magnificent Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall was the setting for the MP’s Charity Dinner, hosted by the Member of Parliament for Rochdale, Tony Lloyd, on Saturday night.

Guest speaker was Sir Bill Cash MP, a descendant of Rochdale’s most famous son, the Victorian statesman and radical John Bright MP.

Sir Bill, who has written a biography of John Bright, spoke about John Bright's life and death and how great a statesman of the 19th century that Bright was.

Sir Bill Cash speaking about John Bright

MP Tony Lloyd presents a bouquet of flowers to Lady Cash

Council Leader Richard Farnell

Rochdale Hornets legend Mike Ratu

Chief Superintendent Neil Evans

John Bright was born at Greenbank, Rochdale on 16 November 1811. He was the son of a local cotton manufacturer and, after leaving school, worked for his father for a time. However, he soon developed a passion for politics and in 1845 entered Parliament as MP for Durham.

The Bright family were members of the Religious Family of Friends (Quakers) and his political career was based upon the Quaker beliefs of integrity, peace, justice, equality and truth.

During his long political career, he campaigned on a number of important issues; the most notable of which was the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846 (the Corn Laws were designed to keep grain prices high to the benefit of the rich and caused extreme poverty), a campaign on which he worked closely with Richard Cobden, who became MP for Rochdale in 1859.

Following his success he continued to campaign for free trade and in 1868 accepted the post of President of the Board of Trade in Prime Minister William Gladstone's first ministry, the first Quaker to become a Cabinet Minister.

Earlier in the day, Sir Bill officially re-opened Ball Street Gardens, the former St Stephen's Church and a Quaker burial ground that is the site of John Bright's grave.

Hopwood DePree

Councillor Janet Emsley

Rochdale Council Director of Economy John Searle

Councillor Peter Rush

Janet Sandiford

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Manchester Ian Sandiford

Guests at the dinner included the Mayor and Mayoress Ian and Christine Duckworth, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Manchester Ian Sandiford and his wife Janet, MPs Tony Lloyd and Liz McInnes, Leader of the Council, Richard Farnell, Chairman of Rochdale Hornets, Paul Ormerod, Chief Superintendent Neil Evans, Malcolm and Maureen Hanson, who live at One Ash in the grounds of what was the Bright family home, and American actor Hopwood Depree, who is renovating Hopwood Hall in Middleton.

Councillor Farnell thanked Sir Bill and Lady Cash for coming to Rochdale and spoke briefly of his great admiration for John Bright.

Dinner was winter vegetable soup, followed by roast leg of lamb served in a rich Madeira sauce and accompanied by minted new potatoes, green beans and carrots. Pavlova of mixed fruit served with fresh cream was rounded off with tea and coffee.

MC for the evening was Rochdale Online director, John Kay, and musical entertainment during the dinner was provided by pianist Adam O'Shea.

Proceeds from the evening go to the Mayor's charities.

Maureen Hanson

Hanson Springs Managing director Malcolm Hanson

Rochdale Hornets Chairman Paul Ormerod with Council Leader Richard Farnell

Pianist Adam O'Shea