Although he wasn’t here that long in the scheme of things, Patrick certainly made his mark on York. I met him when we were both trustees of York Theatre Royal, where his wit and wisdom was welcomed and every meeting with him in it was a good meeting. It was on our watch that the idea for the stage version of The Railway Children was born and the venture, which posed a not inconsiderable financial risk, lay in the hands of trustees to either move forward or scrap. The fact it went ahead, to great acclaim, is testament to the energies he helped kindle with his effortless, can-do attitude. He used to tell me he was aware he was seen as an outsider and that to be accepted in this city he would improbably have to be here for generations. But while he was no son of York - and would never have sought to lay claim to such - for a period with the theatre and through his cultural column in the short-lived York Times, he played his part in enriching the lives of the people around him. Education was a further passion we shared and he was generous with his time as a school governor. We would swap many a story of how trying to achieve which was simple and obvious - to want the best for the next generation - was almost always stymied by meddling politicians. He loved people and was interested in you as a person. In return, even though it can be at odds with a Yorkshireman’s default, sometimes dour demeanour, that affection (come on, I can’t call it love) was always returned, even if occasionally grudgingly. RIP Patrick, one of the good guys.