Lesley Jackson
Lesley Jackson is co-founder of Bridlington-based Hudson Contract, one of Yorkshire’s largest family-owned companies. Her new charity, the Freeman 1st Foundation, aims to provide support to young people to fulfil their potential.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? Being on the beach at Bridlington in the summer. I must have been aged four or five and was with my father, a fisherman, and my mother, a waitress in a local guesthouse. I remember how busy it was with holidaymakers. I remember the donkey rides, the ice cream usherettes and Snaps, the photographic studio. I always remember the sunshine.
What is your favourite part of the county – and why?
I love the Sewerby and Bempton coastal path for walking. I love the light, the peace and the sense of space on the Yorkshire coast. It is so beautiful. It is good for the soul. It gives me the chance to take some time out from everyday business.
What is your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?
On Saturday, we would go shopping in Leeds or York and have lunch with friends. In the evening, we might go out with family or friends to the Pipe and Glass, a Michelin-starred pub in South Dalton or go to Cerruti 2 in Beverley. On Sunday morning, I would like to watch Andrew Marr on television. Later on, we might go for a walk on the beach with our family and two dogs Dougie, a border collie, and Boris, a cheeky white golden retriever. To finish off we all might go to the Manor
Court in Carnaby for late lunch or blob around the fire at home.
Do you have a favourite walk or view?
I love the view out to sea from Bridlington bay. It makes me feel calm and content. The sea is an ever-changing scene. It can be rough, smooth, blue, green or black. At night, I love the reflection of the moon on the water. We have homes near the water in Guernsey and in Italy, but the Yorkshire coast is my favourite.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present would you like to take out for dinner?
Perhaps the singer Ed Sheeran, who grew up in Hebden
Bridge, because I enjoy his music and he seems like an ordinary bloke. I can identify with him. There are talented young people out there in all fields who just need a leg up.
If you had to name your Yorkshire hidden gem, where would it be?
Bridlington, because it is underrated. We are so fortunate to live here, especially during the pandemic. Who wants to be in a city when they can live in a safe seaside town like ours? Just look around and see the beauty of this place. Levelling up could create more opportunities for young people in Bridlington. A focus should be on creating better road and rail links.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?
The beauty of the landscape and the character of the people. Yorkshire people like value for money and they are honest. They say what they think rather than what someone wants to hear. It makes things so much more straightforward. Above all, Yorkshire people are friendly.
Do you follow sport in the county and if so, what?
I am a cricket widow in the summer and a rugby widow in the winter. My husband Dave Jackson is the long-standing manager of Burton Agnes Cricket Club and Hudson Contract is a supporter of the Bridlington Rugby
Union Football Club, funding a youth development officer to bring on the next generation of players. I love to watch my grandsons play cricket. I enjoy motor racing, particularly touring cars and Formula 1.
Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub?Absolutely, the Pipe and Glass, a former coaching inn, for great service and great food. The owners James and Kate Mackenzie are friends.
Do you have a favourite food shop?
Frank’s Wet Fish and Shellfish in Bridlington for locally caught seafood. Did you know that Bridlington is the lobster
capital of Europe? When our son visits from Manchester, he always buys crabs from Frank’s. I also like Marks & Spencers Simply Food in
Beverley. It’s easy. I don’t have a lot of time for food shopping.
How do you think Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?
My hometown of Bridlington has changed over the years, undoubtedly. Before Covid, there were fewer holidaymakers than in the past. Since the pandemic we have seen more tourists taking staycations in East Yorkshire. This has got to be good for our town and will help the local economy. I like the way Leeds has developed and grown over the years.
Who is the Yorkshire person you most admire?
My husband Dave Jackson, who is an equally successful businessperson. We co-founded Hudson Contract and shared many sleepless nights together
at the start of the company. Dave has the determination, single-mindedness, preparedness to take risks and bravery you need to be a successful entrepreneur. You also need the support of friends and family.
Has Yorkshire influenced your work?
I was widowed at 23 when my first husband, a fisherman, was lost at sea. Alone with young children I have always remembered the small acts of charitable kindness I received at the time. Now with the Freeman 1st Foundation we want to give something back to Bridlington, and Yorkshire by giving young people with talent a chance.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book / author / artist / CD / performer:? Definitely David Hockney. We met him when he lived in Bridlington. He was very friendly, very approachable and very hacked off with the smoking ban in pubs. I love his landscapes of the Yorkshire Wolds and the alleyways of trees. It’s our home.
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, where would it be? There are many fabulous places in Yorkshire, I think I would have to say Flamborough cliffs and Bempton to see the puffins. Nature can be so breathtaking. Boris Johnson visited the nature reserve in 2019 and told me how awed he was by the puffins and how beautiful he found it. Anyone would think I’m a bird watcher!