Thorntons, the confectionery company once based in the town of Belper became major sponsors.
Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, the son of a railway porter, he was educated at Herbert Strutt Grammar School, Belper.
He grew up in Duffield and Quarndon (home to Brian Clough), and attended The Herbert Strutt School (became the comprehensive Belper School in 1973) in Belper, then a grammar school.