A POPULAR former deputy headteacher will be remembered at a charity gig in his honour in Richmond next week.

John Haslam served as deputy head at Richmond School for more than 20 years before retiring in 2010, and we was a well known face on the local music scene ever since, as well as being a Catterick Village parish councillor and member of several volunteer groups.

Mr Haslam sadly died in March this year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour just four months earlier, and the gig at Richmond’s Kings Head Hotel on Saturday, September 3 at 7pm will raise funds for the Brain Tumour Charity.

His daughter Delaina Haslam said he had led a highly active life, especially after retirement.

“We wanted to put on a free gig in his memory because he loved music and it seemed a fitting way to remember him.

“It will also be a goodbye event for my mum, Jude, who will be moving away from Catterick Village to live near me in Sheffield.

“Dad had led a highly active life - sitting on the Catterick Village parish council; keeping and riding a horse; being an access officer for bridleways and chair of the local bridleways group; volunteering at Foxglove Covert nature reserve; and playing his guitar and performing on the local jam-night circuit.”

She added: “We came to North Yorkshire from Leicestershire in 1986 when dad got the job as head of middle school at Richmond School.

“A few years later he became one of the deputy heads, which would be his role until his last year before retirement, when he was acting head.

“During his time at the school, alongside teaching history, he was instrumental in bringing about large policy changes including the successful bid for special arts status, and the renovations and new building construction that accompanied that project.”

Mr Haslam had played the guitar since he was a teenager, but Ms Haslam said he was shy of performing in public until the run-up to his retirement in 2010, when he got together a band to play with to perform at his retirement party.

After that he played regularly at open-mike nights, most often at the Bay Horse in Catterick and the George and Dragon, Hudswell. The performers at the gig include musicians he used to play with, such as the remaining members of his informal band, The Bootlace Beatles.

The free gig line-up includes:

The Bootlace Beatles; Meri Everitt, a singer/songwriter friend of Mr Haslam’s family; The Blind Boys of Richmond; Rapscallion; and Midnight Revelations.

Ms Haslam said: “Music on the night is likely to feature some of dad’s favourite musicians including Bob Dylan - he named me after mishearing ‘Me and Magdalena; as ‘Me and My Delaina’ in the song Romance in Durango - and the Beatles.

“We’ve collected together some prizes that have a connection to dad. So far, these include:

tickets to the Richmond Walking & Book Festival and Station Cinema; A £20 book voucher for Castle Hill bookshop, which he’d frequented ever since moving to the area; his microphone and stand; and various music and art books from my parents’ incredible collection - which needs to be paired down before mum’s move to Sheffield.”

Register for free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gig-for-john-haslam-tickets-26724701301. Donate www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Delaina-Haslam.