My friend, Dave Wood, who has died aged 66 of cancer, spent all his adult life championing the rights and interests of people who could not speak for themselves.
As learning disabilities services manager for South Cumbria from 1981, and later, when two NHS Trusts merged, also for Lancaster, Dave was a trailblazer. While forward thinkers elsewhere in this field were tentatively looking at ways service users and their relatives could have a greater say in their care, Dave was demanding it as the norm.
He resettled more than 140 people from institutions into their own homes with support from NHS staff. His pioneering work in ensuring that those affected and their families took a full role in staff recruitment earned him a national NHS Equality award in 1998.
One of nine children of Billy Wood, a baker, and his wife, Molly (nee Jones), Dave was born in Southport, Merseyside, and went to school at King George V grammar school. He married Linda Gaskell in 1973 and qualified as a registered nurse in learning disabilities at Greaves Hall hospital, near Southport, in 1975.
The family moved to Ulverston when Dave became learning disabilities services manager for South Cumbria. He suffered a severe stroke in his late 40s which resulted in him taking retirement from the NHS in 2004. Following his convalescence, he channelled his energies into voluntary community work in Ulverston.
He was a leading light in the formation of Ulverston Community Enterprises, which took over the running of the beautiful Coronation Hall when it was threatened with closure by the local district council. He was the driving force behind the Ulverston Live Music group. He loved motorbikes and joined North West Blood Bikers, which ferried urgent medical items around the region.
He was a founder member of the Furness Refugee Support Group, welcoming several Iraqi and Syrian families to our area and also getting people to donate urgently needed supplies for the refugee camp in Lesbos.
A committed socialist, he left the Labour party after the war in Iraq, and instead joined the Green party.
He loved his pint and a laugh, and greatly enjoyed music. He was an avid Bob Dylan aficionado, and had planned a party for Dylan’s 80th birthday. This had to be brought forward when it became clear that Dave would not make the actual date. A wonderful evening ensued, with Dave making a short speech which ended with his usual mantra: “Never stop fighting for what is right!”
Possibly the best description of Dave was coined by the musician and activist Joe Solo, his friend, who described him as “a rolled-up-sleeve socialist”.
Dave is survived by Linda, their sons, Billy and John, and five grandchildren, Charlotte, Harriet, Ava, Finn and Quinn, and four of his siblings.
