Roland Colin Holt, known as Colin Holt (1945–2006) was a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

activist who was a founder member of the

Yorkshire Ridings Society The Yorkshire Ridings Society is a group affiliated to the Association of British Counties calling for the wider recognition of the historic borders of Yorkshire, and its traditional subdivisions, the North, East and West Ridings. History The ...

, serving as its chairman for many years until his death. A determined opponent of the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

and an advocate for Yorkshire's traditional Ridings, he was responsible for the adoption of

Yorkshire Day Yorkshire Day is a yearly celebration on 1 August to promote the historic county of Yorkshire, England. It was celebrated by the Yorkshire Ridings Society in 1975, initially in Beverley, as "a protest movement against the local government re- ...

. Colin Holt lived in Fenwick near

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. He was a lecturer at

Doncaster College Doncaster College and University Centre is a further and higher education college based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is an operating division of the DN Colleges Group. History Origins The origin and identity of Doncaster Colleg ...

. Though best known for vocally championing the cause of Yorkshire, Colin Holt was also a dedicated member of Moss and District Parish Council and a vintage vehicle enthusiast. He also served on the committee of the

Association of British Counties The Association of British Counties (ABC) is a non-party-political society formed in 1989 by television personality Russell Grant to promote the historic counties of the United Kingdom. It argues that the historic counties are an important part ...

, to which the YRS is affiliated.

The Yorkshire Ridings Society

Colin Holt had an aptitude for generating publicity that he would use throughout his tenure at the Yorkshire Ridings Society. As publicity officer of the Yorkshire Ridings Society, Holt achieved his first publicity coup through his refusal to pay bills addressed to "Fenwick, South Yorkshire" rather than "Fenwick, Yorkshire" or "Fenwick, West Riding". Eventually, after many official letters,

British Telecom BT Group plc (trade name, trading as BT and formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is th ...

cut the Holts off. They were not reconnected for several years."Title lost forever"
''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'', 25 May 2007 After BT was privatized, the company agreed to make the address read "Yorkshire" and the Holts had their telephone back. He believed strongly in cultural heritage and regional identity. His message was simple and constant: that the sidelining of Yorkshire's ancient North, West and East Ridings, which dated to the 9th century, under local government re-organisation in 1974 was a crime and an insult.

Yorkshire Day

In Colin Holt devised

,"In Praise of Yorkshire"
BBC Radio 4 on-line, 19 May 2006 falling on August 1, as a celebration of all things Yorkshire. He began the tradition, still continued, for members of the YRS, with

white roses ''Don't Be Afraid'' is a 1997 album by electro-dance group Information Society (band), Information Society. The album adds industrial music, industrial elements and guitars. The album was recorded with Kurt Harland remaining the sole member of ...

in their buttonholes, to make a circuit of the ancient city walls of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, reading out a "Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity". The first of August was chosen as the county day because on that day in 1759 that soldiers from Yorkshire regiments who had fought in the

Battle of Minden The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of F ...

picked white roses as a tribute to fallen comrades.

Personal life

Holt married Hilary in 1968. They would remain married for 38 years, until his death of heart failure in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Colin People from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster 1945 births 2006 deaths