Appointed to his position at the Alliance in 2005, Pat had already been an influential character within the organisation following his time on the Executive Committee of the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the former name of the Alliance, between 1997-99.
Before then Pat demonstrated his passion for school sport as a member of the National Council for School Sport and regularly made his warm presence felt at divisional meetings for a number of years.
Pat started his professional career as a mathematics teacher in Buckinghamshire and Nottinghamshire before making Head of House in a comprehensive school; he took early retirement in 1990.
In 2000, he was made a member of the government’s Sports Strategy Implementation Group and served as Head of Delegation and Administrator at international events such as the World Schools Games.
Pat was awarded an MBE for services to school sport in the East Midlands in 2002.
Sport and Recreation Alliance Chair, Andrew Moss said: "Pat was a lovely man and an immensely constructive influence on the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
“He was a great believer in the traditional values of sport and fair play, but also always open to new approaches to help young people”.
CEO, Lisa Wainwright added: “Pat was a figurehead and incredible advocate for school sport and a very good friend. He committed a great deal of time to this passion and allowed many organisations, including our own, to push forward conversations with government.
“He will be fondly remembered by so many in our sector as a friendly, approachable and dedicated supporter of physical activity.”
A memorial service will be held for Pat on Wednesday 22 June 2022 at 12pm.
The venue is: The Wolds, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, NG2 7HZ. Food will be provided.
This was a spot Pat visited a lot, often meeting his friends after a Nottingham Forest match on a Saturday and the place where he had his last fun social outing with his daughter and his friends in June 2019.
Please do come along to share your memories of Pat and celebrate the life of a wonderful man. If you know anyone else who would like to attend, please do let them know.
The thoughts of everyone at the Alliance are with Pat’s loved ones at this time.
Pat's obituary and details on donations can be found here.
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