The life of 54-year-old industrialist Sir James Hill reads more like a roll of honours than a biography of a Keighley capitalist.

Born in Bradford in December 1943, the 6ft 4in textile giant spent his early years in Yorkshire before going on to Wrekin College, Shropshire. In 1962 he returned to his Bradford roots to complete a three-year textile course at the Bradford Institute of Technology.

Sir James then entered the family textile business - a large private wool merchants operation with mills in Bradford, Keighley, Lancashire and Holland. It was here he was to learn the tricks of the wool trade as an enthusiastic young trainee.

Towards the end of the 1960s Sir James spent a year travelling around Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as a trainee wool buyer. When his father retired as chairman of the Sir James Hill Group, Sir James joined the board. His father died in March 1976 after a short retirement.

Sir James inherited his title and the responsibility of running the company which had, by this time, diversified into travel agencies and travel operators under the company name, James Hill Travel. This made Sir James chairman of both the Sir James Hill Group and James Hill Travel.

Then followed 14 years of textile contraction and further diversification with investment in Air Europe Ltd and the International Leisure Group Plc. By 1979, Sir James had become director of both these businesses as well as of the Yorkshire Building Society and other companies. "At this time we were closing mills down, after having moved the head office to Keighley," he says. "I wanted to concentrate on Keighley by centralising the group's major manufacturing operations."

During the late 1980s, the family business suffered from financial difficulties and the travel interests were sold off to new buyers, alongside all the other various divisions to repay huge debts. This was the low period of Sir James' flourishing career as a business magnate, as he sadly watched his father's business go into receivership. But Sir James Hill (Wool) Ltd continued to operate.

Over the last eight years, Sir James has had the opportunity to take on other responsibilities in both Bradford and Keighley. Today, he is well known not only as a wool merchant but as an active volunteer, fundraiser and community activist. "Right now my main push is to promote the Bradford district wherever I can by working with Keighley Business Forum, which has enabled me to support the regeneration of the area," he says. "I am a fan of Bradford."

Talking about the state of the textile industry today, Sir James says: "Manufacturing, textile and design skills are still enjoyed by people in Yorkshire today. There are many flourishing small operations. But I think the textile industry has reached a plateau and more and more manufacturers will focus on the old Eastern bloc and the southern hemisphere."

Until last year he was director of Airedale NHS Trust and is now in the running to become chairman of the Trust. He will soon find out whether he has got the job.

Sir James, who lives in Menston, is probably best known locally for his app-ointment as president of Keighley Business Forum, which is dedicated to boosting the town's economic regeneration and job growth through Keighley Business Development Centre.

Last year he helped organise the Bradford Centenary celebrations which included more than 130 events. He is also a very keen supporter of cancer charities and organisations, having seen his father die of the disease.

His other big interest lies in the church. He is actively involved with Bradford Cathedral and during the 1980s was a provost warden.

For the last five years, Sir James has been chairman of Airedale Hospital's Rainbow Appeal and has helped raise £500,000 for the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. He is also a trustee of the Yorkshire Children's Spine Foundation.

Sir James is married to painter, teac-her and tie designer Sandy, 53, and they have four grown-up children - Juliet, Georgina, James and Josephine. He says: "My wife designs all my ties. It's an amazing skill."

Family holidays are spent on the Camel Estuary in Cornwall. "I try and get down there as often as I can because my mother lives there and I've been taking holidays there for the last 50 years," he says.

His other interests include holiday golf and tennis, walking, cycling, and watching political documentaries on television. He is also an avid cricket and rugby league supporter. "My father was president of Bradford Northern Rugby League Club and I still enjoy watching it today, but my daughter supports Leeds which is very worrying!" he admits.

His favourite food is soup and fish, especially smoked and cooked salmon, and he also enjoys Asian food.

and often takes his family for an Asian night out.

He says: "I don't always know what I'm eating but I enjoy it and the standard is much higher than in London because all the food is individually cooked.'

The family lives in Menston, near Ilkley.

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