Andy

When you move to a new school, it takes time to settle down not just into the formal structures of the school such as school break times, weekly Assemblies, and your years timetable but also the pupils and forming friendships.

 Andy never Andrew who lived near Tarporley soon became my best boy friend to the point we were almost inseparable always being in the sides when it came to joint activities such as games or playing together at recess.

Between us we run the form Chess Club during dinner time recess arranging with the stuff to have classroom access during the period and to share  wall place in the store room to keep or chess sets and help other boys and girls out cos we were very much for treating everyone as a equal.

Andy and I shared something else, we shared a few of our interests and attachments for that era with girls, we were very nurturing  to others especially anyone who we saw as vulnerable and although we were eleven and twelve year olds, we still very much loved cuddles and teddy bears.

We also did manage to borrow the girls skirts a few times trying them on too deciding they weren't us and like me outside formal lessons we both wore shorts so with hindsight we were both boys but just a little less conventional than most.

It was suddenly around April of 1977 after taking a day off, being at home, that I returned to school to start gazing out of the window only to be informed he'd died in his sleep.

I was very very heartbroken to hear this and indeed just typing this today makes me cry because I so loved this boy, a boy who was to use that modern expression a "soul mate" someone who I cared for and it has to be said returned it hundred fold.

This is for him, a boy never forgotten, by way of  tribute.