Few entrepreneurs will leave an impression on a town as David Jackson did on Bridlington
The economy is built off the back of pioneering entrepreneurs but few will leave an impression on their local community as David Jackson has done.
Tributes have been pouring in for the Bridlington entrepreneur following his death aged 70. As well as building a successful business, one of the largest family-owned firms in the country, Mr Jackson was also a philanthropist who supported apprenticeships, sports and arts initiatives in his seaside hometown.
When he spoke to this newspaper in 2021, he made clear just how proud he was of his hometown and how important it was for him to make a positive difference to the lives of people living there.
In many ways, Mr Jackson was a throwback to the old industrial days when business leaders were pillars of their communities.
He made a difference to hundreds of young people’s lives, providing them with opportunities that they otherwise would not have had. This interest in helping young people was as a result of his own experience growing up in Bridlington. Mr Jackson struggled to find an apprenticeship in his home town and had to go to Leeds to get his start in life.
“Everybody deserves a leg up and a start,” he told The Yorkshire Post in 2021. “If you can provide a leg up then you should.”
Provide a leg up he did. And even after his death, he continues to support young people. A fundraiser has been set up in his name with donations going to the Freeman 1st Foundation, an organisation which provides financial and practical support to local young people who might otherwise be held back by their circumstances.