Running a big institution like a university is an extremely challenging task. The in-box is never empty, the days are never ending and the rewards can sometimes be difficult to see. Martin was at the heart of UWE for a long time in a very senior role, yet still made time to chat over a coffee, spread good advice to young academics and be interested and supportive whenever he could. I was so looking forward to meeting up with him in his retirement, now the stresses are removed. My heart goes out to his family.