Week 9: the end of an era... and onwards. "We knew he was good, but we didn't know he was THAT good"

"We knew he was good, but we didn't know he was THAT good". 

That's what my sister said, all last week, when we were reading the newspaper headlines and amazing tributes from all sides of the political spectrum for my fantastic brother in law, Peter Rankin, former leader of Preston City Council. Here's a link to the article that the Lancashire Post did on his funeral...  and here's a pic of the double page spread of the funeral coverage.

Here's what I wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, the day after the funeral (so some of you will have read this already)

The photo is of my wonderful nieces who both wrote beautiful tributes that they read to honour their father Peter Rankin at his funeral yesterday at Preston Minster.

 As 20 year leader of Preston City Council Pete was given a civic funeral. This meant a packed service wth city councillors in their robes: but before that, when the funeral cortège drove through the city, staff from the town hall lined the street to pay their respects, and traders from the new market - that Peter had helped to develop - were outside too when we passed. My sister was very moved to see the flag at half mast for him. 

As well as my nieces speaking, the service included his best friend, David Chillingworth - a retired Bishop and former head of the Scottish Episcopal Church - and former mayor Brian Rollo.

photo from Lancashire Post.

As a child Norah King lived next door to my sister's family in Fulwood, Preston and played with Gilly and Jen , putting on shows and plays. Norah is now an opera singer based in Ireland and flew over specially to sing for Peter at the funeral - Puccini's O Mio Bobbino Caro which was spellbinding. (I interviewed her and there'll be a podcast soon, including her singing).

A city council Mace Bearer, Jim Rowley, walked in front of the funeral cortege ( in a personal aside, I'd worked with Jim on a workplace communications skills project 25 years earlier, when he worked for Baxi Heating organising training and I worked at Lancaster Uni writing about trade union sponsored workplace learning schemes!)

from Lancashire Post

I'm putting this together looking out on the Placa de Joan Petro in Barcelona, about to go off to get a ferry to Sardinia where I'll be restarting my travels (jumping on a catamaran next week to sail round the island!) and will be beginning to edit all the sound recordings I've made since I left Lancaster on 30 April. 

I've been so privileged being able to share the last month with my sister and my nieces as they spent every spare moment with Peter and surrounded him with love: and then as they organised the funeral and read the hundreds of cards and tributes. 

My heart is still with you Lynn, Gilly, Jen.

Donations in Peter's memory gratefully accepted at Preston's Rosemere Cancer charity which treated him, or to Marie Curie which provides end of life care.