Goodbye Harry

I watched the Paralympics Opening Ceremony wuth immense pride last night, and today I have watched the competition avidly.

My good friend Shelly Woods starts her Paralympic schedule on Friday.
Here's her schedule, I hope you'll watch
Friday 31st August: 5000m heat 10.00am
Sunday 2nd September. 5000m Final 10.30am
Tuesday 4th September. 800m heat. 10.15am
Wednesday 5th September. 800m Final. 9.35pm
Thursday 6th September. 1500m heat. 12.05pm
Friday 7th September. 1500m Final. 8.30pm
Sunday 9th September. Marathon. 11.15am
I've put these times slightly earlier than the actual times so you can get comfy in front of the telly. #goshellygo

"There is no such thing as the standard run of the mill human being. We all have the ability to create." Professor Stephen Hawking. 29 August 2012

Which brings me to the very sad news I received this morning and the words of Stephen Hawking are so fitting because Harry was not run of the mill: he was Mr Freckleton.

Sadly I only knew him for 8 years from when I joined the Club Day Committee.
But Harry was one of those people that everyone knew or certainly knew of and long before I knew him personally I knew of him as being as much a part of the fixtures and fittings of Freckleton as the pubs, churches and postg office.

He survived the Freckleton Air Disaster 68 years and 1 week ago.
He was heavily involved with Freckleton Band
He worshipped at Freckleton Methodist Church and it will not be the same when Club Day comes around next June when Harry is not driving the tractor that pulls the Methodist Church float, resplendent in shirt, tie, button hole, his customary hat and a smile as wide as the roads he was driving along.
Club Day afternoon and evening would see Harry on the public address calling the "runners and riders" as he often called them to the start line for the childrens' races in the afternoon and the adult races and novelty events in the evening. Egg throwing and pillow fighting will never be he same again.
Harry taught children badminton, having played the sport himself for many years.
He was a School Governor at a local primary school and a local secondary school.
Even while he was ill he organised a brilliant party for the village to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It is a great sadness to us all that it was the last event he organised.
The last time I saw Harry was the 23rd June when I took the Torch to his home. In true Harry fashion he had shown his usual grit and determination to be part of something and went to see the Torch Relay in spite of his illness. It just seemed right to go round after his eforts in the morning.
And this only begins to scratch the surface of Harry the man, the father, the grandfather and friend. He has shaped the lives of so many in Freckleton.
I don't know any more: like I said, I've only known him 8 years. I am grateful for those 8 years.
In the end the pain took it's toll and now Harry's pain has ended. The pain for those who are left behind is raw right now, and it hurts. I'm not sure we ever get over the pain of losing people close to us; I think we just learn to live with it. And we will: we have to.
So we will cry for our loss, but we will smile too because we had the honour of knowing Harry.
Goodbye and God bless