Tributes paid to pioneering Chesterfield bank boss

Alex Pickover arrived at the Market Place branch of Lloyds Bank in 1969 and retired when he was 60, in 1986.

During his tenure he transformed the role of the rarely-seen ‘austere’ bank manager - to one of active involvement in the lives of people and businesses.

Alex, father of four, who has lived in houses in Deerlands Road, Ashgate and Somersall Lane, came to Derbyshire from a manager role in Oldham, then Lancashire, after previous Lloyds Bank positions in Blackpool and Warrington.

He died at Ivonbrook Care Home in Darley Bridge, near Matlock, after a nine-month stay, living at Somersall Lane until shortly after his 94th birthday.

“Dad lived an incredible life, full of richness and adventure and while working contributed greatly to the Chesterfield business scene,” said son Nigel, a former newspaper editor.

“He helped many firms set up their fledgling businesses and kept in regular touch with dozens of his customers who adored him.”

“He loved fishing, caught trout and salmon from Derbyshire to Yorkshire, and was a former treasurer of the Grayling Society.”

He saw service as a Lieutenant in the Pay Corps, in Palestine and Egypt, taking millions of pounds through post-war countries where terrorists and bandits freely roamed.

As a teenager he saw German bombers dropping incendiary devices over the Lancashire coast and raced over field to grab one which hadn’t exploded. Luckily, a munitions-trained neighbour defused it for him and he proudly kept it as as souvenir.

Blackpool fan Alex, who saw his team win the FA Cup in the 1953 “Matthews Final” had four children with his wife Beryl, who died in 1979.

He later married Claire Bowler, of Chesterfield who became a fellow salmon fisher alongside her husband. She died in 1997.

Alex leaves daughter Diane, sons Nigel, Robin, who lives in Australia. Eldest son Christopher died in 1998.

A restricted-numbers funeral service, organised by Hattersley’s, will be held at the Chesterfield Crematorium, Brimmington, on Wednesday, May 12, with a social media link available. Donations to the RSPB, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.