Kevin Horkin

Horkin left school at 16 to start his own business: a stall in Accrington Market selling clothing and jewellery. He later opened "The Eye Shop" on Warner Street, in Accrington.[1][2] He challenged the opticians' monopoly on the sale of over-the-counter ready reading glasses by writing to all MPs asking Margaret Thatcher to repeal the Opticians Act of 1958, and in 1987, winning a case against the monopoly.[3][4] The General Optical Council took out simultaneous private prosecutions in an attempt to stop the sale of ready made reading spectacles.[5][6] Horkin successfully fought the actions by the General Optical Council.[7][8] He subsequently re-branded his business from "The Eye Shop" to "Spex Opticians," opening 22 branches across Lancashire, Greater Manchester & Merseyside.[9][10]

Horkin has been a contributor and pet consultant to TV programmes including the This Morning with Richard & Judy.[11]

Horkin’s two books are ‘Pets and personalities on Coronation Street’ and ‘Star Dogs: What Stars Think about their Pets'[12][13][14] He has also appeared as a Pet Expert in The Pet Set (2003) a 6 Programme Series exploring our relationship with pets & Animal Tales (2004).[15][16][17] Horkin also launched Pet Centric – opening 7 Pet Stores across East Lancashire.[18][19]

Horkin's Pet People column appeared in The Sunday People Newspaper from January 1995 onwards and included Letters from readers in a weekly Questions and Answers feature.[20] The column was renamed Pets And Their People in March 1998.[21] He has also been a regular columnist for the TV Times on its Animal page, ‘Mad about Dogs’ and Sainsbury's Pet Club Monthly Magazine in which he had a Pet features column.[22][23]

Horkin appeared in a film for television, in which he played himself as a TV Pet Expert, called Catwalk Dogs.[24][25]

Horkin is also Media Director of Our Dogs, a position he has held since 2000.[26]

Between 1987 and 1991, Horkin was elected as a councillor on Hyndburn Borough Council, rising to the role of Group Whip for the Conservative Group. He was elected as the Councillor for the Altham Ward obtaining 253 Votes or 40.1% of the Vote.[27] Horkin was also Joint Coordinator for the Hyndburn Constituency in 1987 for the re-election campaign for Ken Hargreaves MP.[28]

In 2010, Horkin stood for elected office in the neighbouring authority of Ribble Valley. He contested the St.Mary's Ward in May 2011 achieving 502 Votes or 47.27% of the vote.[29]

Horkin was elected to Clitheroe Town Council for the Clitheroe St. Mary's Ward receiving 499 Votes and beating incumbent Simon Entwistle by one vote.[30][31] Horkin was appointed Mayor of Clitheroe for the Civic Year 2013–2014. During his period in office, he launched the Clitheroe Community Fund.[32][33][34]

Horkin was selected on 15 January 2015 by local Conservative Party members as their prospective parliamentary candidate to contest the Hyndburn parliamentary seat.[35][36] He lost to Labour's Graham Jones by 4400 votes, a decrease of 2% in the Conservative vote compared to 2010. Horkin finished second taking 31.9% of the vote.[37]

Horkin was re-selected as the Conservative Party candidate for Hyndburn for the 2017 general election 10 days after the General Election Campaign began. Horkin increased the Conservative Vote in Hyndburn by 4,629 to 18,305 from 13,676 in 2015 an increase of 8.6%. [38] However Horkin finished second behind the Labour Party candidate Graham Jones who once again who increased his share of the vote by 6,045 from 42.1 to 53.4%. This was 1,405 Votes less than the 19,405 Votes achieved by Ken Hargreaves when he first won the seat in 1983 - only 1.7% less than the 42.2% he achieved [39]

Since 2009, Horkin has been a board member of the Development Advisory Group of the Community Foundation for Merseyside & Lancashire, a charitable trust which helps donors to support their community by channelling money into community projects.[40][41] Horkin has organised a number of Special Children's Christmas Parties for Disabled Children at Number 10 Downing Street including one hosted by Ant and Dec.[42][43][44] In 2014, Horkin received a Lifetime Legends of Industry Award from the Variety Club of Great Britain for his work with the Foundation.[45][46]

Horkin has been patron of 'The Kirsty Appeal' named after Kirsty Howard[47] helping to raise in excess of £5 million for an extension for Francis House Children's Hospice in Manchester.[48] As recognition of his philanthropic work he was Awarded Lancashire Community Philanthropist of the Year in 2011.[49]

In 1990 Horkin also founded the Pet Role Trust, a registered charitable trust promoting responsible pet ownership and devoted to improving animal health & welfare through charitable fund-raising - primarily for the Kennel Club Health Foundation and Manchester Dog's Home - the largest in the country.The Pet Role Trust also distributes cash to smaller, lesser known animal charities.

The Pet Role Trust was established against the background of the Public debate surrounding the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 introduced by the then Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker with the emphasis being on responsible public ownership rather than euthanasia. The controversial aspects of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 or the Baker Bill as it became known related to the intention to have American Pit Bull Terriers "humanely destroyed" in other words "put to sleep". Horkin launched a campaign of national publicity in the press and on Radio and TV organising a march on Parliament.He received over 12,000 Letters from the General Public and set up a 24 Hour Telephone Hotline to deal with calls from animal lovers concerned about the bill and who wanted to take part. The police said it was illegal to hold a march so Horkin organised a mass lobby of MPs instead. Horkin wrote to the Home Secretary, all MPs and the Chair of the Parliamentary Animal Welfare Committee in protest. 620 people took part. The meeting was attended by 40 MPs including Ken Hargreaves Horkin's local MP and 60 journalists.Within 24 hours of the mass lobby the euthanasia provisions of the bill were abandoned. [50][51]

Horkin was awarded "Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)" by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the Queens Birthday Honours List of June 2017 for Services to Charity and the Community of Clitheroe.[52]