It’s me This was a man who didn’t say much But who had a lot he could say, This was a man who dealt with life’s changes yet a man who was stuck in his way, This was a man not bookish nor learned but a man who could work with his hands, A man who needed no instructions but instinctively understands, This was a man who tried to deal with you fairly who strove to be honest and true, This was a man who enjoyed a good laugh And liked to get you laughing too, This is a man pleased to see you today though I may not be around for a while, This is a man who doesn’t like sadness and who would much rather see you smile, This was a man who loved the outdoors and the sound of the surf on the shore, This was a man who had all your love and a man who loved you even more, This was a man who touched all your lives To a greater or lesser degree, I am that man and my name is John Don’t cry now - it’s alright - It’s Me!!! John Virgoe

Extract from a poem by Henry Scott Holland I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant; it is the same as it ever was. Thank you ever so much for choosing to support the work of the British Lung Foundation by creating this Breath of Life Fund online tribute in loving memory of John. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing your page and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to. It has been designed to be a truly lasting tribute for perpetuity for future generations to see.

Have I been a good Father? A little while ago my dad asked me if we had missed out on things growing up as kids. I guess what he meant was, Had he done a good job as a Father? I'm so very glad I got to give him my answer and I wanted to share that with you.
 I was born in Birmingham and both mum and dad at the time had really good jobs with two huge companies. Mum was working her way up the corporate ladder for Honeywell and Dad was working with computers at Dunlop, following in the footsteps of my Grandad.
Back then when a computer as powerful as your watch would fill a football stadium it was cutting edge and I remember walking through the huge data hall with awe, seeing all the tape reels spinning and feeding punch cards into this big machine. It was like being on the set of a Star Wars movie. Dad was so proud of his work and it showed.
 Then it all changed, mum and dad decided that white collars weren't for them and up sticks and moved to Essex to live and work on a farm. Hobbs Cross Farm. It was a massive gamble and a huge change in circumstances. With two kids, living in a tied cottage and being on a very low income it was going to be a challenge. But the one thing about my dad is he always worked very hard to provide for us all. He had to work 7 days a week to feed and care for the animals. Even Christmas Day he would get up really early while we were all asleep and go to work so he could be back in time to watch us open our presents. We would be allowed to have our stocking but always waited for Dad to return from work before ripping into the main presents. Presents that he had often spent so much of his own spare time making for us. I remember the wooden rocking horse he built for my younger sister and the hours he spent helping me build a huge model railway. He took great satisfaction in building things. In the early days, it was mostly with 4x2 timber, six-inch nails and a hammer. Worlds apart from the intricate turnings he later enjoyed making. Back then he built hutches for rabbits and fencing for sheep and goats. When that TV programme "The good Life" with Tom and Barbara started in the 70’s it was modelled on exactly how we were living at the time.
 Growing up on a farm as a kid was amazing, it was by far the best experience of my life and some of my most favourite memories are from those days. We got to experience things with Dad that very few children saw. Seeing my father buried up to the shoulder in the back of a cow and then pulling a baby calf out and bringing it to life. Artificially inseminating pigs and then later castrating the piglets and giving us the bit that's left over to hold. I guess you could say we learnt about the birds and the bees at a very early age.
 I got to drive tractors in the fields during harvest when I was still only at school. Dad ran through the controls, even though I could barely reach the pedals and I had to stand on the brake with both feet to stop it, he trusted us and it was fun, it wasn't like work at all. It was a real treat to spend the day on the farm working with Dad and helping him go through all his tasks for the day. I loved every minute of it.
 One of the best things to have come out of moving to Essex was growing up with Wendy, Peter and their five boys, Barry, Terry, Paul, Tony and Alan. I feel totally blessed to have you all as part of our family, I regard you all as my brothers and I can't thank you enough for everything you have done. I was going to include some of the stories about what we got up to as kids but I've been sworn to secrecy. Ask me after I've had a couple of beers. Paul said something to me the other day which was really nice, "It was like having two Dads when we were growing up. If I wasn't getting a clip round the ear from my Dad, I was getting one from yours!" and that is so very true.
 Dad was a really clever and very intelligent man. He loved doing logic puzzles and quizzes. His favourite thing was to challenge us all to a game of trivial pursuit, single-handed he would take us all on and would always win. I’ve got him to thank for his knowledge of maths when we were at school and the results we got are because of his help. If I have one regret it's that I wish we had spent more time together later in life. We get caught up in the pressures of work and other commitments and don't make enough time to do what's most important and that's to spend time with those you love. Dad often joked that he'd put a photo of me up in the hallway so that when I came to visit he would recognise who it was. Now that my own two kids are grown up and off into the world doing their own thing, I totally understand how he felt. I know that he also loved to spend time on his own with just my mum at weekends. We would go visit and when he'd seen enough of us he would tell us to bugger off. I knew he wasn’t trying to get rid of us it was just so he could enjoy some time alone with just my mum. So if I have learnt anything it’s this. Make time to be with the ones you love and make lots of happy memories together. The time we spent with Dad growing up was one of the best times of my life, you did an excellent job as a Father. We may not have been wealthy but we are all richer for knowing my Dad.