IN MEMORY OF FOUNDER CO-EDITOR, Timothy Ramsden

Timothy Ramsden 3 June 1949 – 7 June 2016

Rod Dungate remembers the work of Founder Co-Editor of ReviewsGate.com, who died 7 June and who was cremated today, 8 July.

ReviewsGate is sad to announce the unexpected death of one of its founder co-editors, Timothy (Tim) Ramsden; Tim died on 7th June. His funeral took place today, 8th July, at Willow Chapel, Crownhill Crematorium, Milton Keyes.

Visitors to the site may have missed Tim's regular contributions; he had been battling with cancer for some months, but had expected to make a recovery. Alas, that was not to be.

The ReviewsGate team has lost an indefatigable colleague. The number of emails we have received in the last few weeks is evidence of the affection and respect with which he was held in the theatre and wider community.

Tim and I started ReviewsGate in July 2001 and over the years the site has gained a reputation for honesty, respect for those working in the industry, and knowledge. These were principles Tim and I put together at the beginning, and are principles I hope we have maintained.

Anyone regularly visiting our reviews will have been struck by Tim's ability to travel across the country; he was eager to see the work of as many theatres and theatre companies as possible. His in-depth knowledge of plays and performances is evident in everything he wrote. He was particularly passionate about Theatre for Children; he believed fervently that young people are the audiences of tomorrow. He also recognised what many of us know, that drama is a powerful way of engaging with young people. Tim wanted to support this work however, and wherever, he could; and he was a man of action, so he did.

There were many sides to Tim's life and these were all represented in Willow Chapel. Contributions to the celebration were made by Robert Webb (a colleague from his teaching days), Chris Keates (Gen Sec NAS/UWT, Tim was an executive officer), and yours truly (Tim's founder co-editor on ReviewsGate). Mark Lewinski read from notes Tim had been making on an Aneurin Bevan speech.

Tim's wit, knowledge, and honest reviewing will be greatly missed by the ReviewsGate team, and hard to replace.

2016-07-08 16:55:12