Peter Hetherington’s obituary of Patrick Eavis began by saying he was “committed to lifelong learning opportunities for all”. This was true from the very beginning.
Patrick and I were contemporaries at the Blue school, Wells, in Somerset. He went on to the London School of Economics and I joined the civil service. We met again after I had completed national service. Patrick said: “You should go to university.” “Isn’t it too late at 22?” He replied: “Of course not, the universities want mature students.”
So I went to Nottingham on a council grant and it was the most transforming decision of my life – I won a general traineeship at the BBC and embarked on a career as a broadcaster and writer. All of that I owe to Patrick’s insistence.
