IT was with much sadness that I heard of the death of Harold Angood, of Newton. Harold was head teacher for many years of the village school at Newton, and was one of the last of the old style village school head teachers who saw it as their role to act

IT was with much sadness that I heard of the death of Harold Angood, of Newton. Harold was head teacher for many years of the village school at Newton, and was one of the last of the 'old style' village school head teachers who saw it as their role to act not only as the head teacher, but also a leading figure in the village. Sadly those days when head teachers could (if they wished) devote time to the wider community seem to have gone.

Harold will be remembered by many in the Fenland area for the work he did in the school, the area music festivals where he would lead his children on his guitar with their own composed contribution, played on many instruments made by themselves, the appearance at area sports days, football and netball competitions and rounders tournaments and the annual flower show held at the Isle College, to name but a few.

He and people like Russell Watson, of Gorefield, Len Geeley, of Murrow, were a breed of head teachers that lived through the war years and earned much respect because they had the interest of the children at heart, and the wider community. Their place has been filled by managers who still care, but are weighed down by bureaucracy.

PETER THATCHER High Road Gorefield