"When I played rugby in the 1970s and ‘80s it was an amateur sport, so I wasn’t any different from most other people; I had to have a job. After leaving school I joined the family textile business, J Blackledge & Son Ltd, where my father was sales director. Meanwhile I played rugby locally for Fylde Rugby Club.

I went from playing for Fylde to Captain of England, then the British Lions, which was wonderful. Nor did my passion end with my playing career; now I’m Chairman of the British and Irish Lions, executive on the International Rugby Board and Six Nations Rugby committee, and a director of the Rugby World Cup.

In business, my career has taken me from sales representative to director in 1985. At that time the company specialised in wax fabric for the clothing trade, and we gained the Queen’s Award for Export in 1996.
In an amicable arrangement, in 1998 I bought the business from the family. Recognising the decline in UK and European clothing manufacturing, I took the company in a different direction and established Bill Beaumont Textiles, devoting all our expertise and energies to furnishing fabrics.

My wife Hilary left her teaching career to join me in the company and her feel for design quickly became indispensable. She now oversees the purchase and development of all our fabric designs, while I head the firm as managing director. The business has gone from strength to strength and, with our innovative designs and affordable prices, I believe we are one of the leading companies in this sector as we continue to gain market share.
In summary, the textile business and the sport of rugby have together been my lifelong pursuits and I still derive great enjoyment from both!”