'A kind man who loved his town': Wife of popular Belper headteacher pays touching tribute

The wife of a popular Derbyshire headteacher has paid tribute to her "loving" husband following his death last week at the age of 72. Trevor Harding worked in various schools across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire for more than 20 years as a language teacher before joining Belper School and Sixth Form as headteacher back in 1997.

It was in the Derbyshire town where Mr Harding became a popular figure who was adored by his pupils, many of whom would tell his wife of 50 years, Sue Harding, that he was "one of the good ones". Mrs Harding told how the pair met after Trevor moved from Doddington, Cambridgeshire, to study languages in Nottingham in 1970 - and he loved the East Midlands so much, he never left.

The pair tied the knot in 1974 before having their son, Thomas, who made Mr Harding a "very proud" father who was "very hands-on". He then went on to work at Quarrydale Academy in Sutton-in-Ashfield, before moving to The Garibaldi Secondary School, in Mansfield, and Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy.

He then worked at Derby's Noel-Baker Academy before joining Belper School in 1997. Speaking on her husband's dedication to his long career, Mrs Harding said: "He absolutely loved his job and absolutely admired his students and his staff.

"He hated it when people said the typical 'The youth of today are...' He used to really rail against that because he believed young people were - and are - great and showed great promise. He didn't like the condemnation of young people - and he loved his job."

When asked whether Mr Harding could be likened to a local celebrity - having met and taught so many children around the Midlands - Sue added: "He has been described as 'one of the good guys' a lot of times by his ex-pupils - often directly to me.

"I remember once some pupils from his time in Ilkeston came to do our carpets and realised it was Mr Harding's home. They described him to me as 'one of the good guys', and I've heard that so often."

"We've been in places and people have shouted to him because they recognised him - and that wasn't an infrequent occurrence. It was always so lovely to see this positivity towards Trevor - and it was always there; there was never anything except for positivity from his former pupils."

Joan Hardy, who worked as a drama teacher at Belper School - as well as acting as a press officer - throughout Trevor's tenure, said: "When Trevor first came to the school he really understood its ethos and values - and he built on it. During his time in school he was responsible for expanding the school immensely.

"The school went from a population of 1,000 to around 1,400 during his 16 years as head and he played a pivotal part in expanding the school, building new arts and languages departments. Not only did he massively improve the school for the students at the time, but he also made the school a better place.

"People are still benefitting from his work to this day, more than a decade after he left. He was a phenomenal headteacher and a great friend."

Mr and Mrs Harding - given Trevor's fluency in French and Spanish, as well as enough German and Italian to get by - enjoyed holidaying at their home in Loire Valley, France. After leaving Belper School, Trevor volunteered for the National Trust - a perfect way to blend his love of architecture, history and nature - and the pair enjoyed regular trips to various sites across the country, particularly at the Belton Estate in Grantham and Hardwick Hall in the north of the county.

Following his retirement, he put his love of gardening to good use, with both of their homes having "beautiful" floral gardens, a result of his dedication and skill. Trevor would often share gardening tips, tricks, and stories with his former colleagues in Belper, whom Sue said he "cherished".

Trevor was diagnosed with colon cancer on December 23 last year which spread. He went through treatment, which sadly did not work.

Speaking on how she wanted Trevor to be remembered, Sue continued: "He had a very rich and full life. He'll be remembered as a kind and considerate person who was quite a tease—but he was always laughing. He was also very fair, always. He never raised his voice much, not throughout his whole career."

Matilde Warden, the current headteacher at Belper School, announced Trevor's sad passing recently. Ms Warden said: "It is with sadness that I write to you to inform you that the former headteacher of Belper School and Sixth Form Centre, Trevor Harding, passed away last Monday at the age of 72.

"Trevor was a headteacher from 1997 to 2013, and was a much-loved member of our school community. We send our sincere condolences to his family at this sad time."