Without Ben Wallsworth's vision, Greater Manchester wouldn't be what it's become
Thirty minutes into a two and a half hour interview in 2019 with Ben Wallsworth, he bellowed "It's Neal Keeling!" His hearing was shot and his facial recognition was shaky. But his wit, wisdom, deep recall, and humour were all intact.
Our exchanges were always friendly. He was generous with his time, and had admirable political nous. He knew I had a job to do, and was happy to help. But his vast experience meant he would pass on drops of wisdom. "Don't shaft us all the time lad or the well will dry up...eh?" was one. It was a poignant moment. His own father, Robert, had toiled there. But as chairman of the city's planning committee, Ben, an engineer by trade, saw something else - potential. He had been inspired by a journey he had made to visit his daughter, Christine, in Canada, a few years earlier. There he saw waterside developments at Vancouver and Victoria which would become fixed in his mind.
"We used the £1m which we were going to use to build Eccles recreation centre on buying the land which became The Quays - that is where it started." He had a wonderful, but often harshly accurate turn of phrase. Describing the stark reality of the closed docklands, Ben said: "We were like an ulcer on Manchester, but I still thought it had huge promise."
His tact, gentle persuasion, and ability to handle any storm of protest from residents up in arms over planning applications was moulded in another role - a football referee. He took charge of games in the Lancashire League when the game was a licence for tackles from behind and two-footed blocks. “Millions of people now live, work and visit his legacy at Salford Quays and MediaCityUK every year. Ben’s vision was to create something new from a huge, disused site and the transformation of Salford Docks which he helped to kickstart has been described as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the UK.
His regiment fought through France towards Belgium and back to the beaches of Dunkirk, where he spent his 20th birthday. He refused to abandon his Lewis gun en route as instructed and used it to defend his unit from aerial attacks when they were trapped on the beaches for three days and nights. He also took the gun aboard the ship which rescued them and it was used to protect the boat when it was attacked by German planes.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Greater Manchester weekend weather as scattered showers and gusty winds forecastThe pollen count will be high - so beware those with hay fever
Weiterlesen »
Greater Manchester's biggest electric car charging site to go live next to M60Greater Manchester's biggest electric car charging site to go live just two minutes from M60
Weiterlesen »
'It was heaving': Greater Manchester town had the best nights out in the 90s'It was absolutely heaving': Greater Manchester town was the 'place to be' in the 90s
Weiterlesen »
The criminals locked up in Greater Manchester this weekBaby shaking thug, Britain’s ‘worst flasher’ and 'Red Cap rapist' among those jailed in Greater Manchester this week
Weiterlesen »
Gorgeous village in rolling hills completely taken over by Greater ManchesterMellor was Derbyshire, then Cheshire, but now it's Greater Manchester's
Weiterlesen »
Gigi Elevates Her All-Black Summer Look With This Trending ShoeFollow the supermodel’s example and remember: the sharper the toe, the greater the impact.
Weiterlesen »