The story of Geoff Lofthouse is of a local lad made good.

Geoffrey Lofthouse was born in 1925, the youngest of five children. His father was a farm labourer at Micklefield who died in 1930, aged 35. His mother was evicted from their house within two days so the whole family moved into the grandmother's small house in Stewpot Row, North Featherstone. Mrs Lofthouse suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, but with only 27 shillings a week income she could not afford medical treatment.

Soon they moved next door into the end terrace house. Typical of these houses it had one room upstairs and one down, no lighting, no heating (except for the fireplace/oven) and an outside toilet. In 1935, the house was declared a slum and was pulled down. The Lofthouse family was re-housed in Little Lane, Purston. Geoffrey thought that the new house was a palace because it had hot and cold running water, a bath and flush toilet, and electric lights (fed from a meter).

Like many other Featherstone lads as soon as he was 14, Geoff went to work at Ackton Hall pit. Life was hard but he had a natural gift for leadership which led him into the National Union of Mineworkers (eventually becoming its president). As a mature student he gained a degree in Political Science from Leeds University in 1957.

The rest of his life has been devoted to public service.

In 1962, he was elected to Pontefract Borough Council and served as a councillor until 1974 (including a time as Mayor, between 1967-8). On the formation of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, he became Chairman of Housing and was an important voice for Pontefract.

Then, in 1978, he agreed to stand as MP for Pontefract and Castleford. He was highly respected in the House of Commons for 19 years, during which time he rose to become Deputy Speaker (or chairman). In 1997, he was given a life peerage and a place in the House of Lords where he took on the role of Deputy Speaker. He adopted the title ‘Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract’.