19/07/2025
⭐️A Nod to Phil⭐️
Morning all,
The following post is a personal tribute to a man who certainly touched my life. I've taken a few days off in order to travel south to Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire to attend Phil's funeral - a beautiful religious church service.
As it is an old stomping ground of mine, I've also been to see friends - Sue & Paul, John & Sue, Laurence, Laura & Riley, and catching up with celebrant friend Naomi Gruzelier.
Of course, the funeral itself, as they tend to do, also brought an opportunity to see colleagues from my Hitchin Boys School teaching days. Unbelievably, this school year end marks 10 years since I moved on back to West Yorkshire. A decade- how the years pass!
⭐️A Short Tribute⭐️
Phil was one special man, who will remain with me forever. When I arrived at HBS as a newly qualified RE teacher, a novice in both the teaching world and life as a whole quite frankly, he was there, present and supportive. I was 22 and a rabbit in the headlights! I knew of Phil before I even got the job at HBS, as he taught two of my really good friends- Matthew and Laurence. Both thought highly of him as a teacher.
As a teacher Phil was not conventional, but he was true. He cared for those children and the pastoral side of being a teacher, Phil oozed. Genuine and one of the last of what we might call the old school teachers! He taught from the heart. None of this robotic, streamlined and uniformed teaching we see so much of today. But children learnt and they all remembered a Mr Bedford lesson. Surely that is what we all wanted from a teaching career? I looked up to him, whilst knowing I was certainly more conventional and doing things by the book at my career stage was a must.
I'll never forget how he listened, advised and supported. He had after all, along with Sue, our brilliant Head of Department, a wealth of experience behind him. I loved those years. Phil, Sue and I made a good team – well in my humble opinion anyway.
Phil remained a good friend once he retired in 2012, regularly popping in for a Hitchin coffee stop during a Friday lunch hour. Yes, still a time when as teachers, we could squeeze a break into the day occasionally.
As I moved into my new career, taking quite a winding road to get to it, he supported from afar, checking in and supporting through his recognition of my work as presented online.
On reflection, as I expressed to his beloved wife, Sarah, I regret not picking the phone up to him and keeping in much better contact. Time just passed me by, moved on and without conscious thought, I went years without much talk (the occasional message and Christmas card exchange). Although it was lovely to see him in 2022 at one of my best friends, Matthew’s funeral, albeit incredibly sad and difficult circumstances. He held my daughter that day, Indigo, and was his usual lovely self. My other half, Kerry, also met Phil three or four times. Thankful for these moments and memories.
A man, who without doubt, left his mark on many lives. Those he befriended, those he loved and those he taught - we cannot forget he was perhaps the only teacher with a Head Boy speech upon retirement!
Rest in peace Phil, I for one will not forget you.
James x
