When I was headteacher of Blurton high school, Stoke-on-Trent, Tim Brighouse kindly agreed to award prizes at our annual ceremony; I had known him since my days as a young teacher at Bicester school, Oxfordshire, in the 1980s.
The evening took twice as long as normal because Tim insisted on talking to each prizewinner. One Year Seven boy came on to the stage at around 7.30pm for the history award and reappeared after nine for a sports prize. “Not just good at history then,” he said as he presented the boy’s award; a remarkable and well-loved man, and a huge loss to the world of education.
Robert Powell
The breadth of respect for Tim Brighouse was brought home to me in 1993, when he had come under attack from the politician John Patten.
On a train from Oxford, I was approached by someone I didn’t know, but recognised as a prominent figure in the county’s science and business world. He thought I was “something to do with the county council” (I was), in which case did I know Tim Brighouse personally? (I did).
He then said he feared pursuing libel actions could be very expensive, so was there an appeal to help Tim out? I confirmed that a support fund had apparently been set up. After delving into his wallet, he produced some high-denomination notes, thrust them into my hand and told me to give them to Tim, with his best wishes.
John Harwood
