ANN'S DIARY ☰

Be more Tim

Tim didn't always have it easy. He grew up in a loving family, but from adolescence suffered from bouts of acute depression. It wasn't until he was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in middle-age that his moods steadied and life became more settled.

His illness never stopped him though. It didn't stop him travelling or being open to new experiences and new people. It didn't stop him laughing or being passionate about conservation. His enthusiasm, willingness and openness enabled him to cook phenomenal curries, to be a loyal Dylan fan and to always love the sea, regardless of its condition.

Tim had a great sense of possibility. Everyone he met had the potential to be a great friend, every bird he saw had the potential to be a great rarity, and on every trip, there might just be 'the big one'. Tim had a very delicate stomach and whenever he went abroad he would catch a bug, but that never stopped him travelling again and again and again, from Uzbekistan to the Antarctic and Bolivia to China. Every Saturday he watched the football results convinced that today the Rovers might win.

With all of that in mind, we're determined to be more Tim: to take risks, be open to new possibilities and not let the fear of being hurt or rejected prevent us from approaching people and ideas with an open mind and an open heart. To dance, and cook, and drink, and walk, and perhaps break the rules every now and then.