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

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

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 counties of England, historic borders of Yorkshire, and its traditional subdivisions, the North Riding of ...

, 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, in England. It was celebrated by the Yorkshire Ridings Society in 1975, initially in Beverley, as "a protest movement against the local governmen ...

."In Praise of Yorkshire"
BBC Radio 4 on-line, 19 May 2006 Colin Holt lived in Fenwick near

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

. 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 College ...

. 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

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 (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 the largest provider of fixed-li ...

cut his household off. They were not reconnected for several years."Title lost forever"
''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, 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 privatised, the company agreed to make the address read "Yorkshire" and the Holts had their telephone connection back.Journal; A County by a New Name Doesn't Smell as Sweet
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Monday, 14 September 2009 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 ninth century, under local government re-organisation in 1974 was a crime and an insult.

Yorkshire Day

In Colin Holt devised

, falling on 1 August, as a celebration of all things Yorkshire. He began the tradition, still continued, for members of the YRS, with white roses in their buttonholes, to make a circuit of the ancient city walls of

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

, 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 from heart failure in 2006.

References

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