I first met Peter outside of a large supermarket when he first arrived on the Isle of Wight as he was being shown around by his new Church Warden Maureen Bottoms.

In one of his first services, Peter unwound a ball of string and passed it through the congregation until everyone was holding the string.  He then asked us to push a ring along it and talked about our being connected to each other through faith.  This now seems the perfect analogy for Peter and his friends throughout the world, that he has connected us all. Other innovations included the lost lamb which was a small toy sheep hidden around the church which we had to spot and the search for the lamb continued for many years afterwards as it continued to move between different locations. I am sure it is still standing on a pillar somewhere! We were introduced to the delights of the ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ and many a venerable bear saw the light of day for this… the ladies of the church who had the task of making the honey sandwiches every year were less enthusiastic about their sticky fingers! We were also introduced to the children’s hymn ‘If I were a butterfly’. As we were parents of two small children at the time this was delightful to sing along to and Peter was amazing with our rather lively little ones.
During this time there were regular parties and barbecues at which Peter played a leading part and according to Phyllis declared he made the best hamburgers and the best barbecued beans.  There were many Sunday lunches where we sat talking about all things under the sun and Peter encouraged the boys in their daily lives and future university dreams. After he retired there were high days and holiday meetings when he came back to the Island.

I will miss Peter as a true friend who was a constant in my family’s life and an adopted Grandad to our boys, who had lost their own when they were young.

Cathy Lewis