Tributes paid to 'kind and generous' Oldham businessman

Oldham has lost one of its most successful and generous sons with the death of Peter Buckley at 85. The businessman, who made his mark nationally as the youngest chairman of a UK public limited company at Hyman PLC in the early 1980s, never forgot his roots. He went on to lead Slumberland, one of Britain's biggest mattress companies, but it was his local philanthropy that earned him lasting affection in the town.

Buckley's impact on Oldham went far beyond business. In 1991, he spearheaded a £1million fundraising campaign that brought a CT scanner to the Royal Oldham Hospital-equipment that would have saved countless lives over the past three decades. He regularly supported local charities and the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, opening doors for young people across the borough.

Those who knew him remember a man who shared his success freely. Former mayor John Battye recalled Buckley's generous support during his 1999-2000 term, when the businessman helped raise funds for Dr Kershaw's Hospice and child cancer research. Sarah Brown, who met Buckley as a teenager, said he and his wife Anne 'opened my eyes to new ideas and opportunities' and that his advice 'still holds good' decades later.

Buckley passed away on March 17, with his family announcing the news this week. He'll be remembered not just for his business achievements but for his Northern sense of humour and the way he made success mean something to others. As one tribute put it, he lived 'a full and happy life' while sharing that happiness with everyone he met along the way.