Dad was a clever man, a chemist at Rowntrees Mackintosh’s chocolate factory when we were little.  This meant as kids, me and Ruth always had an enviable amount of chocolate to hand!  Dad subliminally taught us about kindness.  Often, the local kids would pass by and give us a knock at the door and ask for some chocolate, and we would hand out Yorkie bars, Toffee Crisps, Caramac.  The generosity was without question.

Dad was chairman of the governors at our first school, Magdalen Gates.  Before the days of Ofsted and the National Curriculum, thanks to Dad (inspired by A.S. Neill) and the head-teacher with whom he worked, the school inspector rated our school ‘second to none’.  That was due to their ability to understand how best to nurture children: the principle was that all learning would be based on the children’s own questions, so inevitably the children were fascinated in their own learning and excelled.  How lucky we were for that to be our school! 

Dad was creative; he enjoyed painting outdoors in the open air.  Even as kids, Dad always had a sketchbook to hand, picking it up to capture any given moment, and perhaps this taught us that even the seemingly mundane moments in life are precious.

In the tributes here, Dad is described as ‘fascinating character’, ‘someone to choose for advice in life’s problems’ and ‘one of life’s nice guys’; to mention a few quotes.  And he truly was that; he had an innate understanding of people and psychology, and a deep and unfaltering compassion for all.  He was hugely philosophical; a pacifist, a true socialist.

I think that even as children we knew, that Dad’s way of thinking was extraordinary.  We are proud that others have taken such inspiration from him.