Simcock was born on 19th September 1955 in the Henry Johnson Maternity Ward at North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He is one of the six children of William and Muriel Simcock.[1]
He grew up in the village of Butterton, near Leek, Staffordshire. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Lichfield and Leek High School.
He studied History and Politics at Teesside Polytechnic, now the University of Teesside, graduating with an Upper Second Class Honours Degree in 1980. He also spent two sabbatical years as President of the Students’ Union.
London
Simcock lived in London from 1980 until 1986. He was a Graduate Trainee at Williams and Glyns Bank before moving into roles with Ford Motor Credit and Kalle Infotec.
Manchester
Simcock moved to Manchester in 1986. Working first for Dun & Bradstreet he moved on to positions with Equifax, KPMG and Mazars.
Save Withington Hospital Campaign
Simcock was the Treasurer of the Save Withington Hospital Campaign from its inception in 1989. In 1992 he cycled from Manchester to Lands End to raise funds for the campaign and played a leading part in the various projects aimed at keeping the campaign in the public eye.
Labour Party
Simcock joined the Labour Party in 1990. He was Chair of Didsbury East Branch Labour Party from 2007 to 2015 and has remained Deputy Chair since then.
Manchester City Council
Simcock was the first Labour Councillor to be elected to represent Withington Ward on Manchester City Council serving from 1995 to 1999.[2]
In 2011 he was elected to represent Didsbury East Ward on the City Council[3] and was re-elected in 2015 [4]and 2018. His current term expires in 2022.
During that time he has played a leading role in supporting the expansion of Christie Hospital and Beaver Road Primary School. He was the founding Chair of The Friends of Didsbury Park serving from 2003 to 2017. He is currently Chair of The Friends of Didsbury Community Wood. He was a Trustee of Cornerhouse (now HOME) from 1998 to 2015.
Christie Hospital
Simcock has served as Chair of Christie Neighbourhood Forum since 2012 and has been a member of the Hospital Council of Governors since 2014<rehttps://www.christie.nhs.uk/about-us/the-foundation-trust/council-of-governors/our-partner-governorsref>
f></ref>.[5]of the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue, Rise Up Women, in St Peter’s Square, Manchester on 14th December 2018.
In 2015 he cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise the profile of the original twenty women on the long list for consideration for the statue.
First In The Fight
In November 2019 First in The Fight was published. This was a history of the statue campaign co-written by Simcock and Helen Antrobus featuring biographies of the twenty women.[6]
Personal Life
Simcock is a keen cyclist and has completed a number of rides for different charities. In 2009 he cycled from Manchester to Paris raising money for Help the Hospices. In 2010 he was the principal organiser of the KPMG Big Blue Bike Ride which raised £170,000 for Alzheimer’s Society.
Simcock is a supporter of Preston North End Football Club and has watched them play on 130 different grounds around the country.
