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My friend George Fothergill, who has died aged 77, was a teacher who influenced many young lives. His first full-time post was at the Bolton school in Lancashire, where he taught history between 1958 and 1966. He moved to teach at Banbury school, Oxfordshire, and in 1973, became vice-principal of Peter Symonds sixth-form college, Winchester. In 1984, he was elected to Winchester council as an SDP member for the Littleton and Harestock ward, a position he held until 2005. He served as mayor of Winchester in 1998-99.
George was born at High Stennerskeugh, a hill farm in Ravenstonedale, Westmorland (now Cumbria). His first experiences of school life were at Murton, a village near the county town, Appleby, where pupils were regularly caned for speaking in the local dialect. At Appleby grammar school, he became head boy. He read history at Queen's College, Oxford, and captained the college football team.
It was while teaching at Bolton school that George met and, in 1960, married Tessa Barber. They had two sons, Lloyd and Gavin, before divorcing. George's second marriage, to Tessa Lewis, also ended in divorce. He married Jenny Francis in 1999.
George was a devout Christian who attended Wesley Methodist church. A dedicated supporter of Southampton and Carlisle football clubs, he was also a keen skier and walker who last year completed half of the Clarendon Way walk in Hampshire in aid of the Naomi House children's hospice. He was a gentle and compassionate man who was genuinely interested in the lives of others. He is survived by Jenny, Lloyd and Gavin, and six grandchildren.
