The multi-award-winning business leader Barry Leahey MBE, managing director of Playdale Playgrounds who was named IoD North West ‘Global Director of the Year 2018’ as well as ‘Cumbria Business Person of the Year’, receives the Freedom of the City of London today.
It is an honour given to valued members of the community who have achieved success, recognition or celebrity in their chosen field. Barry is now a ‘Freeman’ of the Worshipful World Traders – just one of the many City Livery Companies that the Freedom Of The City is still closely associated with. These livery companies follow historic traditions and the City Of London is keen to maintain the Freedom as a living tradition. City Freemen are a very broad cross section of the population.
Historically, the privileges of a Freeman included being hanged with a silk rope (for committing murder or treason), avoiding the press gangs that carted people off for a life at sea and most importantly being exempt from paying the livestock toll when taking animals (but especially sheep due to their hugely valuable wool and meat) across London Bridge to market. Unsurprisingly, none of these privileges are available today! The main remaining privileges are of a charitable and educational nature.
At the same time Barry has also become an Honorary Professorial Fellow from Lancaster University Management School in Strategy and Entrepreneurship.
This title is awarded to people from industry, which a university wishes to recognise and collaborate with. This has been awarded to Barry for his outstanding contribution to Lancaster University and the local region to it.
Barry told us, “I am blown away to receive such recognition. All my life I have just worked to be the best I can in roles I have always enjoyed. Over the last few years I have received some fantastic awards which would have not been possible without the team around me, and for that I am very grateful! The event with the Lord Mayor was quite something else and to be called Professor will now take some getting used to!”
