Celebrated Lancashire and international cricketer, Preston-born Andrew Flintoff MBE has developed strong broadcast and business careers since his retirement from the professional game in 2010, but even with limited time to spare, he has agreed to take on the role of Lancashire Ambassador, which will see him working with Marketing Lancashire to help raise the profile of his home county.
Commenting on his new role Andrew said “I’m a proud Lancashire lad and feel honoured to have been invited to become the first official Lancashire Ambassador.
“One of the best feelings in the world is representing your county and country, whether that’s in the field of sport or in business. I’m looking forward to working alongside fellow Lancastrians to help generate further interest and investment in the county, towards a more prosperous and secure future for Lancashire.”
Rachel McQueen, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire, said:
“Lancashire is a proud and dynamic economic region at the heart of the North West with significant strengths in aerospace, engineering, manufacturing and quality of life. These world-class assets are familiar to Lancastrians but we still have some way to go in terms of national and international recognition.
“One of our biggest strengths, undeniably, is our people; renowned for their entrepreneurship, skill and creativity, good humour and hospitality. Our aim with the Lancashire ambassadors is to harness those powerful attributes, individual experiences and influence to help celebrate and share our pride in this place.
“Freddie is the first of our official Lancashire ambassadors and we’re genuinely thrilled to have him ‘batting’ for his county once again.”
Andrew will support a small number of key events organised by Marketing Lancashire, that will showcase the county in the UK and overseas. The We Are Lancashire campaign launched in 2016, on behalf of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP), created a Lancashire narrative that helped better define the county’s strengths, with the aim of uniting ambition towards economic growth and greater prosperity for Lancashire. Marketing Lancashire has already successfully showcased We Are Lancashire at MIPIM UK, MIMPIM Cannes and The Paris Airshow and has a number of projects already in planning for the coming year.
Leader of Lancashire County Council, County Councillor Geoff Driver CBE commented:
“Freddie’s passion for his home city and county is immense, and he has arguably been acting as an ambassador for Lancashire for many years. I am delighted that he has agreed to work more closely with us and that we could make the introduction to Marketing Lancashire for him to become an official ambassador for Lancashire. I know he will be great in helping to raise the profile of our county even further.”
