Facts to Celebrate Sir Jack’s Birthday

We’re celebrating the Life and Achievements of Sir Jack Petchey on his 98th Birthday! Join us in wishing Sir Jack Petchey a happy birthday! Let’s take a moment to appreciate his remarkable accomplishments, community work, and other interesting facts about his life.

The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey CBE to inspire and celebrate young people. Since the Foundation was set up, over £160 million has been invested in programmes to benefit young people aged 11–25 across London and Essex.

After being told he wouldn’t amount to much at a young age, Sir Jack set out to prove that idea wrong. When he set up the Foundation, he set out to celebrate young people who tried their best no matter their circumstances. He wanted young people to have a voice and be listened to, to be inspired to give back to their community, and to have the confidence to achieve their goals.

If you’re reading this as a young person and you think you can achieve something, then Sir Jack would believe in you and tell you to go out and do it!

If you don’t know much about the history of Sir Jack, here are some interesting facts about his life:

He was born on 19^th July 1925
His star sign is a Cancer
His parents were Stanley James Petchey and Dorothy Irene Cubbon
He has a sister called Joan and a brother called Douglas who is the eldest
His Grandparents lived in Libra Road Plaistow with his cousin Ron
He grew up in the East End of London
He considers Stanley Road, located in Manor Park, as his first real home
At the age of eleven he found work in the greengrocers in Manor Park, East London
At the age of 13 he left school
In 1939, he Served as Scout Police Messenger
In 1943, he volunteered to join the Royal Navy
He first got into the ‘property business” in 1954
In 1994, he published the first CPO Newsletter, the Golden Beach News
In 1978, he was appointed as director of West Ham United
In 1999 he set up his charity, the Jack Petchey Foundation, with the inspirational motto “If you think you can, you can”
On 27 May 2010, he was given the Freedom of the Borough of Newham
In 2004, he received an O.B.E. for charitable services
He has four children, called John, Jackie, Susan and Amanda – he and his family still take a keen interest in the Jack Petchey Foundation
He loves playing squash and racquetball
“My Way” is his favourite song

Happy Birthday Sir Jack Petchey! As we celebrate this special day, we also look ahead to our upcoming 25th anniversary of the Jack Petchey Foundation in 2024. To stay updated on the latest news and updates about this remarkable milestone, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter.