My husband, John Jennings, who has died aged 72, was a key figure in the regeneration of Durham, leading the development of the city’s £15m Gala theatre.
John was born in Sheffield, the son of Phoebe (nee Cliff) and her husband, William, a cutler. The proximity of the Peak District and the influence of his father, who took part in the mass trespass of Kinder Scout, instilled in John a lifelong love of the outdoors, and he was a keen mountaineer, climber and cyclist.
At Abbeydale boys’ grammar in the city, he excelled in athletics, and was what can best be described euphemistically as a “competitive” footballer. He fed his love of pop music, particularly American blues artists, with imported records and weekly attendances at Sheffield University’s Saturday night dances.
John travelled far and wide at his earliest opportunity. He cleaned furnaces in the Sheffield steelworks to fund his summer expeditions; on one occasion he delivered cars to eastern Europe. Otherwise, he hitchhiked. Latterlyhe would join much younger friends and relations on their backpacking trips in Europe and the Americas.
He was part of the postwar generation of working-class children who felt a duty to deliver on their parents’ aspirations and sacrifices.
After leaving school, he studied town planning at Leeds College of Art. It was in Leeds that we met, marrying in 1970. Our daughter, Ellen, was born in 1981.
We moved to Durham in 1972, where John worked initially at the county council and then the city council. As director of environmental services at the city council, he managed the Durham millennium scheme, and the highlight of his career was the successful completion of the Gala theatre, opened by the Queen in 2002.
After taking early retirement in 2004, he worked as a consultant on a number of major regeneration projects across the north of England.
Through Ellen, who was one of the company members, he became chair of Liberdade, a social enterprise that uses creative arts to empower adults with learning difficulties. John helped it to win funding to take over Gosforth Civic theatre in Newcastle to provide a unique venue for its members to belong, work and get involved in the arts and their community.
Despite declining health, John retained his zest for life to the end, buoyed by the company of friends and family, good food and drink, and a resurgent Sheffield United.
John is survived by me and Ellen.
