A COUNTY councillor is appealing for more information about a man whose legacy is helping send children around the world.

Lancashire County Council is responsible for managing a trust fund established in the will of the late Arthur Edmondson Quinn of Great Harwood, previously of Padiham, for the benefit of young people in Padiham.

The Arthur Edmondson Quinn Bequest takes the form of a travel scholarship to allow school pupils and full-time students to travel abroad to develop their personal knowledge and understanding of people in other countries and further their education.

Mystery surrounds the life of Mr Quinn, but his will reveals he lived in Park Avenue, Great Harwood, was a factory inspector for the government, then later a foreign diplomat in Zambia and a barrister.

He died on September 21, 1974, and left his estate to five causes: The British Institute in Paris for travel scholarships for British nationals, the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, the Hong Kong branch of the Salvation Army, Trinity Methodist Church, Padiham, and Lancashire County Council.

The bequests state that those receiving scholarships must:

Be receiving full-time education;

Be aged between 16 and under 25 during receipt of the scholarship;

Have parents who live within the boundaries of the former Urban District of Padiham and the young person must normally live their during holiday periods;

For financial reasons, in the view of the county council, do not have the chance to overseas travel.

A sub-committee made up of Padiham county councillor Marcus Johnstone, county councillor Tony Martin, Burnley councillor Frank Cant and administrative officer Denise Jones has been set up to assess applications for grants from the Trust Fund.

This year awards of between £300 and £950 have been made to pupils who will now be jetting off to Spain, Africa, Thailand, New Zealand, Australian and Greece.

They include Helena Caine, who has left for Spain, Angela Caine who is now in Australia, Lisa-Marie Flynn who is travelling to Benin, West Africa, and Claire Monks who is heading for Gran Canaria.

County Coun Johnstone said: "I am delighted to have been part of the team to determine these awards. We advertise the Arthur Edmondson Quinn Bequest twice a year and application forms are available from our Pupil Access Team based at the Globe Centre in Accrington.

"I would encourage any full-time pupils or student in Padiham who would not normally have the opportunity to travel abroad to think about applying.

"This money was left in the care of the County Council to benefit local young people and we are always pleased when to be able to allocate it successfully."

Coun Johnstone would also like to see more light shed on the life and times of Mr Quinn. He added: "If anyone can tell us anything about him, it would be great. I'm sure we would all like to know more about this man."