John usually visited us in the schoolrooms of the Hospital School on a Tuesday although not exclusively so; regardless of the day, he had an amazing talent for timing his visits with the moment the cups were put on the tray for a tea break- we always laughed with him about that. We always looked forward to seeing him; he was such and interesting and interested man who would happily talk about everything, whether the state of the country, the cricket, health and education, travel, his family (of whom he always spoke with immense pride) and even belly dancing! As someone hailing from Cardiff, I was personally delighted- and surprised- to learn that John and I shared a Welsh connection which was s a cue to discuss the ups and downs of Welsh rugby and the surprising success of Welsh football; John humoured me on both! John was fantastic with the children in class and was always genuinely interested in what they were doing and how they were feeling; his natural ease made him a very welcome visitor. We have some wonderful photos of John joining in with our pancake making session-tossing the pancakes with a huge grin on his face much to the delight of the children in the room. Parents were always hugely appreciative of his support and kindness; John had the great gift of immediately tuning in to individual needs and could offer emotional, spiritual or just friendly support in a way that many others would have not have found the words. He was the immediate choice in delivering the service for one of our young ladies when she passed away and the family found such comfort in the care, understanding and love that John showed. We feel privileged that John continued to visit us, as staff, even when diagnosed with his illness but feel sad that we weren’t able to say goodbye. He was a dear friend to us all and a real inspiration. We shall miss him hugely. Julia Allen and the team at the Hospital School, RDE, Wonford.