Dave Brereton, Myson Pages

Dave Brereton is born and bred in Rochdale and is best known as the founder and MD of IT company MysonPages.

He said Rochdale’s biggest weapon is its people. “I have many friends here from school, from childhood and from my involvement in various groups around Thrum Hall Church in my teenage years,” he said. “I’ve still got those friendships today and we’re all slowing turning into our parents.

“Also, I love the location, and the access to countryside right on our own doorstep. As a later-in-life runner I have really come to appreciate what a great place we all live in.”

Dave highlighted Rochdale Football Club and companies like Zen Internet as two of the town’s shining lights.

“The football club has come of age,” he said. “The people involved in running and developing little old Rochdale into a well-run and highly thought of club have done the town proud.

“I also admire Zen Internet and founder Richard Tang. We grew up on the same street and his company and the way he runs it is an inspiration.”

Dave said he was proud to be part of Rochdale’s business sector and predicted the borough’s best days were ahead of it.

“It has a relatively small but well connected business community and people are keen to work locally with each other,” he said. “There are so many secrets here, so many businesses doing world-leading things, quietly without fuss, and it’s great to see that grow.

“You can already see how things have improved in the last 10 years alone. You can also see how business in the town have come together through Covid. It’s a new glue we can use for the future.”