Roland C Peagram OBE MA

It’s been a long journey before coming to live in Mellor Brook in 2002 - a journey that spans 80 years. I was born on Canvey Island, Essex, the son of a policeman; schools in various parts of the country; RAF Service - mainly at GCHQ; followed by Queens College Cambridge 1948-51 where I obtained an honours degree in modern languages, Russian and German.

I married Jenifer in 1951, joined the civil service and returned to work at GCHQ but soon decided my future as a ‘spy’ was not for me! I transferred to the Colonial Service and was posted to Uganda, where Jenifer and I lived for 15 years and all our three children were born. I held many appointments finally as deputy permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s office. We had a very enjoyable life there although there were ‘exciting’ incidents - the army mutiny; the deportation of the Kabaka (an hereditary ruler); the general elections of 1961 and 1962 which I was responsible for organising and many tense moments during the visit of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowden. I finally decided after 4 years of Indepence that it was time to return to the UK at the end of 1966.

The search for a new job took me to Hampshire where I took up a senior appointment with the county council and we lived in Winchester. In 1972 I was invited to join the newly established Central Lancashire Development Corporation with HQ at Cuerden Hall, Bamber Bridge. The search for a new home brought us to Blackburn and Wyfordby Avenue which afforded a convenient journey to the office. Our first church attendances were to St Silas, briefly, then we tried St Mary’s Mellor where we received a very warm welcome from Canon Bamber.

I retired from CLDC in 1986, happy to spend more time on the golf course at Pleasington and in the garden. Unexpectedly, I was invited to take up a ‘part-time’ appointment as a non executive direstor of a local office furniture manufacturing company which I continued until I retired in 1996.

In 2002 we decided that our house and garden were too big and fortunately found our present home in Mellor Brook which has allowed us to continue our our and very happy association with St Mary’s.