Cambridge Online is very sad to lose our lovely Development Worker, Hugh, who passed away far too young on 6th December 2021, after a short and brutal attack of cancer. We’ve received many lovely comments already from staff, former staff, volunteers, learners and people from other organisations he worked with and knew how lucky we were to have him. We’ll miss him and our thoughts are with all who knew him. Our CEO wrote a personal response here and our Twitter account has been sharing some of the comments we’ve received. Below we’ve added a comments section if you would like to share any thoughts or memories.
Hugh – In Memory
Through my volunteering at Cambridge Online I had met Hugh a few times, and I was struck by his warm and welcoming manner.
I was very much looking forward to working more with him in the future. My thoughts go out to his friends and family ❤️
It’s a strange world. Our society is built on language yet words fail us on the birth of a child or on the passing of someone we know, especially if they pass at such a young age. I worked with Hugh for a while at the Meadows Centre when we were implementing the new Digital Health Hub and, more generally, within Cambridge Online. Hugh was one of those people who didn’t take centre stage or wanted to be in the limelight. Instead, he worked quietly and steadily, supporting everyone who needed help with technology and he was generous in sharing his knowledge and expertise. He was calm and this was the quality he shared most. He will be missed by everyone who knew him. My thoughts are with Hugh’s family and friends.
I got to know Hugh from working with him at The Meadows over what must have been a couple of years – funny how Covid makes every timescale sound wrong. I was a raw recruit volunteer, and Hugh – half my age – the experienced staffer. Hugh seemed to live his life a little slower than the rest of us – he always had time for everyone, coupled with a bottomless well of patience and layer upon layer of technical knowledge. ‘Friendly’ doesn’t begin to describe the warmth of his personality, not just to volunteers like me but to everyone, especially those he was there to help improve their IT skills. Johanna and Jim were two of our regulars at The Meadows, and they I’m sure will miss him as much as if not more than I do. Hugh’s untimely death sadly follows closely on the death of his friend Jack Merritt in the 2019 London Bridge stabbings, an event that affected him deeply. Hugh’s death is a tragic loss for all of us, most especially for his family and friends. Rest in Peace Hugh.
Although our paths crossed very little in our time as colleagues, I got to know Hugh more during lockdowns via email. He struck me as being kind and thoughtful. He will be sorely missed by Cambridge Online and all that knew him.
I worked with Hugh at the start of his career when he came to work alongside the County Council Adult Careers and Learning Teams as a volunteer with the Library Learning Centre. He was a well-liked and valued colleague – always willing to help, kind, calm and gentle. I am so saddened to hear of his passing and my thoughts and best wishes go to his family, friends and colleagues.