Category:Nigel McClea

Nigel was born, raised and educated in Harrogate and read law at Queens’ College, Cambridge before joining Simpson Curtis, Leeds as an articled clerk. This was the start of a near forty year legal career culminating in leadership of the office. Nigel was involved in some of the region’s most iconic developments, including the Jorvik Viking Centre, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, as well as advising many of the region’s universities. In July 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Leeds Beckett University.

Nigel has long been an advocate for Yorkshire, being (amongst many other roles) chair of Marketing Leeds and a founder Trustee of The Hepworth in Wakefield. He still chairs The Tetley (the contemporary Leeds arts venue), is an advisor to the Harrogate International Centre and a non-executive Director of the Sterling Group of property companies.

Nigel married Eleanor in 1977 (they have two children and currently one beloved grandchild). Since retiring back to Harrogate they have joined St. Peter’s Church and are now able to see at first hand that church’s great work with the homeless, the needy and the lonely. All proceeds of A Word Glittering with Spikes (published in October 2014) is dedicated to that cause.

When not writing novel number two (as a way of avoiding housework), Nigel enjoys local history, his family and the collection of obituaries, excluding of course his own.