John Herbert at Sheldon Day 2012

We are very sorry to tell you that John Herbert passed away, at Ashgate Hospice, in the early hours of Sunday morning after a courageous battle with cancer. John was a regular contributor to the website via his Jottings, which have been read by almost 18,000 people from all over the world during the last 18 months; a remarkable achievement.

We received a call from Margaret yesterday, and she asked that we inform others as she wouldn’t be able to tell everyone. For those of you who hadn’t heard, please accept our apologies for letting you know via the village website. Margaret mentioned that a possible date for the funeral may be Friday 21st December, which is to be confirmed. As soon as we know more details, we will ensure that they are posted here.

We are really very upset by the news, which, whilst we knew he was very poorly, has still come as a huge blow. It is a huge loss to our village, of someone who was very much a leader of the community and brought people together. Our thoughts are with Margaret and the rest of John’s family.