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Autumn 2020 - TCF Newsletter | www.tcf.org.uk 8 In Memoriam Robert Treadgold 1951- 2020 It is with a heavy heart dear friends that I write to remember our dear friend and colleague Robert Treadgold who passed away on the 15th July after a short but brutally rapid illness aged 69. Some of you will know Robert and will share the sadness of the TCF community at the loss of such a warm hearted, compassionate and inspirational man. I first met Robert when he came to a TCF support weekend in the summer of 2017. Robert was fairly recently bereaved. His gorgeous son, Matt passed away suddenly in May 2016 aged 32 and as many of us do, he came to the weekend to find solace and support. He was in one of my groups early on in the weekend and we bonded instantly. The first thing that I noticed about Robert was his smile. He smiled with his whole face and the expression in his eyes made it clear that he had genuine compassion and warmth. He even smiled when he cried and he wasn’t afraid to cry openly when talking about his grief, his son and his pain. In addition to expressing his pain however, Robert had a genuine desire to find hope and meaning in his life without Matt. In time, I got to know Robert better and I listened as he spoke with pride about the work that he and Matt’s family and friends were continuing in Matt’s name. The Overseas Student Bursary Award gave financial assistance for an overseas student to come and study for an MSc at Leeds. The same course as was being studied by Matt and for which he was awarded a posthumous degree. Robert wrote “Known as the WASH masters (Water, Sanitation and Health), it combines learning in the areas of clean water, sustainable and safe sanitation and health. Matt was committed to using his acquired knowledge, skills and experience, and no doubt his engaging and generous personality, to change the lives of the underprivileged, probably in Africa. Many of his student friends from his year group have gone on to do exactly that” . Elsewhere he wrote that “ Matt’s beliefs and commitments live on through those who knew and loved him. There is now a plaque in a small village in Madagascar which dedicates water and sanitation facilities to Matt and quotes his words “I believe that everybody is as entitled to clean water as they are to fresh air” . It was clear that Robert and the army of volunteers that contributed to this work were committed to continuing what Matt had begun and that this was going to be his legacy. Maybe it will be Robert’s legacy too. I was delighted when Robert agreed to take his place in the grief chain (as I call it) and in time he became a volunteer for TCF. It was my pleasure and honour then to work alongside him at subsequent support weekends where he worked tirelessly to spread the warmth and support that he gave in abundance. I know that he was hugely dedicated to his role as a TCF volunteer and he was amazing at it. It is universally agreed that he gave the warmest and sincerest hugs, he had a fabulous wit and an infectious sense of humour. We laughed often together even if we were crying at the same time. I last saw Robert in February this year. We were both volunteers at a support weekend for the recently bereaved. His insight into the rawness of new grief and his willingness to speak openly about his feelings gave so much hope to those who were just embarking on this painful journey and he gave his time selflessly. At the end of each day, we met for a chat and a hug and we had dinner together. On our last day, Terry and he were huddled over their diaries planning the