Ruth bumped into me in York very soon after we both enrolled on our teacher training course at The College of Ripon and York St John. As well as being the longest college name you could wish for on an application form, our course was called PGCE:The Education of Slow Learners in the Secondary School. There were only 9 of us on the course and we had all just met eachother at the college when she spotted me in the town. In chatting,  Ruth found out it was my birthday and that I had no plans to celebrate it… having just arrived in York and not really knowing anyone yet. She immediately invited me round to the house in Emerson Street that she shared with Ben and Richard….. and made me very welcome. I don’t remember what we did that evening, but I do know Ruth made me feel I had had a proper birthday… and proved a really good friend from Day 1. I became a very regular visitor to Emerson Street, sometimes staying overnight  in the little annexe room on the way to the bathroom, because my room with a landlady was out in Wigginton and it was not great to go back there in the evening.  I was introduced to the Wellington Pub and met Sue, Chris, Danny and Fabian and many other friends like Katie and Roger that Ruth had made in York at the University. I helped them out with York Free Press…. which Ruth was involved with,  and it was a great introduction to the world of alternative newspapers at that time. 

These were the days of punk rock starting up… alternative cafes and political action. In the daytime,  we were all model teaching students and we worked really hard that year… but in the evening we had fun sampling York’s nighttlife.  Informal Parties at Emerson Street seemed to happen quite often..I remember lots of Bob Marley being played and a tightly packed but small front room. It was a lovely,  warm and welcoming house to visit- of course- because it was Ruth’s home. 

Early in our first term at the College, Ruth and I were both placed at  Easingwold School, outside of York in the countryside, This was  our first teaching practice and we knew nothing really… quite scary. We each were paired with a different 1st year “Remedial’ class (we’d call them Year 7s now) and the curriculum seemed to all be about teaching reading in the morning and teaching all about the Vikings in the afternoon , but I am sure there more to it than that. We both taught our respective classes for a tricky project to make a large model of a Viiking Long Boat….Complete with red and white sail and shields that hung over the sides. Ruth had a car, unusual then,  and drove us out to Easingwold each day,  so we spent a lot of time together dissecting what worked and what was a disaster. In those few weeks we learnt a LOT about teaching- what to do and what did not work at all.  We were unused to the country ways  and rural conversations of our pupils … there was a lot of talk about rotavators, animal care  and harvesting… and I do remember us dreading winning a raffle prize in the main school assembly because  winners had to go on the stage to receive the prize of a pair of dead rabbits. 

After a few weeks, back in York, we got to know the other seven students who were on our specialist teaching course, and Regan became another fantastic friend to us both. The course was challenging but the three of of us all went on to be ‘remedial teachers’ and beyond. Once we were close to qualifying, Ruth and I both applied for the same job at The Sutton Centre in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire… At that time it was a wonderful flagship school,  pioneering really exciting community projects where adults could learn alongside teenagers. It was a cutting-edge school and therefore right up Ruth’s street. The interview was scary… our first one. We were not experienced enough to get the advertised post, but later on they called us both up and said they’d  liked out enthusiasm and would like to have us for other roles…. Sadly,  we’d already accepted alternative jobs by then so we did not stay together in the same town again till Ruth came to London in the early 1980s. Since then,  we have had many wonderful shared experiences and have seen eachother through some hard ones too. 

Ruth was always true and kind, caring about everyone else and incredibly insightful and thoughtful. She was strong and did not  give in. She had  high principles to achieve a better world for everyone and a fighting spirit to go with it. We always knew she was brave and committed,  but her last few years proved that in bucketloads.

It feels like Ruth is still with us - and of course she is in my head and thoughts a lot as I am sure is for many others. Having Ruth as a friend has been such a privilege and pleasure, as has being welcomed into other parts of  her world, involved us in her wonderful family and with other friendship groups along the way.  Ruth was generous in sharing her special friendships and in all she did  …I feel very lucky to have known her.