I first met Nick in 1984 whilst fighting a planning application by the then Ealing College of Higher Education to demolish the Warwick Road cottages where I lived. We won the case and I knew then what a masterful and tireless campaigner he was. Nick was in his element fighting a good cause and his enthusiasm was infectious. He had little time for the mundane - his thoughts were always on a higher plane, be it history, politics, geology, archaeology - even his interest in food and drink went far beyond the kitchen and the pub onto the Slow Food movement, Cotswold Taste and real ale campaigns. I shall so miss our late night pints in the Rose & Crown discussing Putin's next move or those peculiar fossils we dug up on Osea Island - a stalwart and stimulating friend. Goodbye Nick.