Green shoots

A very sad but uplifting day. I went to the funeral of my dear friend Nigel who died a couple of weeks ago. We had been friends for over 35 years, since university days.

Nigel did many things in his life including setting up a new school in South London. A committed socialist, he reacted against council plans to build an Academy in his community and worked with local parents to set up a brand new, parent-run state school (long before Michael Gove started his ideological crusade to set up so called 'Free Schools' that are often highly selective). He was chair of the Governors when he died.

His funeral was packed - standing room only in the chapel and crowds outside too. Lots of pupils came along to pay their respects. If you saw them hanging around on a street corner in South London you might think they were up to no good unless you could see what a wonderful school community they now contribute towards.

I'd heard him talk about the school many times but had never seen it until we were invited back there after the funeral. This is a shot of the interior but it can't convey what an amazing place it is. I am so proud of him. Seeing what a future those young people have ahead of them took the edge off such a horrible day.

You can get a much fuller picture of the school here