This site is a tribute to Peter Farrant. He was much loved and will always be remembered. To me he was one of the kindest, generous men I know, and a totally devoted husband. We shared a love of teaching, sport, outdoor activities and as you know travelled widely either trekking, snow shoeing, cycling or for culture. Our only difference in this respect was his love of Liverpool FC and all things red whilst I was a Wolves fan.

To all of you who could not attend his service because of underlying health conditions, travel and Crematorium restrictions, you can follow it below and be with us in spirit.

The music is at the end of the tribute page.

Entrance Music: Love Changes Everything - by Andrew Lloyd Webber, sung by Michael Ball (we got married to this)

Welcome and Introduction - Hester Brown  Humanist Celebrant

Welcome everyone. We have come here, to honour and celebrate the life of Peter Anthony Farrant, to mourn his death, and to say goodbye. 
 
Peter was a strongly ethical person but not a church goer, so Pip has asked for a humanist, non-religious funeral which allows us to come together irrespective of belief to remember Peter with love; it is my privilege to be here from Humanists UK to lead the ceremony. You are welcome, and there will be a time for reflection later on when you can remember Peter in your own way and if you wish, say a silent prayer.
 
Peter died suddenly just over a month ago, at the age of 70; he and Pip had every reason to expect many more years of life together and there are no words that adequately describe the grief at losing him now. What we can do today is witness the difference he made, and be proud of him and what he stood for.
 
Peter had a love of life which took him on massive adventures – intellectually, physically – and literally, with Pip, up mountains and across deserts.
 
He pushed himself to be the best that he could be and live the fullest life possible. His achievements are considerable: 

 *   He had what amounts to two careers, the first as a PE teacher and then, at the age of 40, taking a year out to do a Masters in Maths Education and becoming a maths teacher.

 *   From getting C in his O’level Maths, he rose to become Head of Maths at Eltham Hill. He was a brilliant head of department and taught thousands of children, continuing to teach up to retirement.

 *   He was a role model to his students, a true believer in lifelong learning, and achieved three Masters degrees in all, the other two in Curriculum studies, and Rights in Education. Pip says he didn’t always tell the headteacher about that one when applying for jobs!

 *   He had an enduring love of sport and travel, so cycling was the ideal activity for him. He always wanted to be leaner and fitter, buying equipment and clothing that was aspirational and didn’t always get used! Losing weight could actually be a struggle as he enjoyed eating too much! Pip says he was a secret eater, the mouse in the house, and Peter was envious of her because she had the kind of metabolism that didn’t put on weight.

 *   Together he and Pip went on the most incredible journeys. They started off trekking in Europe, and then achieved Pip’s dream of trekking to Everest in the Himalyas, with a young company called Exodus Travels which went on to become a leading organiser of adventure holidays. They walked across the Atlas mountains into Morocco, snowshoed over the Alps and trekked in Bolivia, Tanzania and South Africa. They cycled annually in Europe, especially Provence, as well as in Canada, the American National Parks, India, Tanzania and New Zealand. Only last September they cycled across France. An average tour might see them cycling a thousand miles, often carrying their own kit.
 
He was fascinated by other cultures and how people lived. He read several daily broadsheets, and followed politics and current affairs. He was an avid photographer and had a quirky love of old post boxes. 
 
To Pip he was funny, sincere and romantic, capable of spontaneous gestures like arranging stones in a heart shape for her.
 
Peter was born on the Wirral in Merseyside and was a keen Liverpool supporter. Pip says the one thing he would hate to have missed was seeing Liverpool come top of the Premier League. As we all know (!) Liverpool was just two wins shy of ending a 30-year wait for a league title when coronavirus led to all games being suspended. So we are all still waiting to see Liverpool lift the cup. When they do, we will lift a glass to honour Peter and the win.
 
                                                         *   *   *
 
Even as we remember Peter and what made him unique, we are reminded that every human being is important and special. 
 
Death is an important moment to celebrate a person’s life and remember our own mortality. As John Donne wrote, “Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
 
It is terribly sad to lose someone we love, but it is knowing that we all die which gives our lives so much richness and meaning. We have just this one life so we should live it to the full, and help others fulfil their potential too. Peter was someone who did just that as we have heard.
 
He will live on – in your lives, and your hearts, through all the things he has shared with you. The impact of his life will continue to ripple out. And that is no small thing: it is a sort of immortality and a link in the chain of human history. 
 
                                                        *   *   *                                      

Cycling In The Countryside - Poem by Angela Wybrow, read by Bryn

In my spare time, I love to ride
My bicycle out in the countryside.
I love to leave the town far behind; 
Inner peace, I am hoping to find.

When I am cycling, I can take my time: 
Enjoy the fresh air and the warm sunshine.
Time is my own: there’s no need to rush, 
And I am able to savour the welcome hush.

Powering the pedals can make my legs ache, 
But the wind on my face makes me feel so awake.
I love to freewheel down never-ending hills: 
A simple pleasure, but, oh, what a thrill! 

I hear the village church bells joyfully ring, 
And, the call of the cuckoo, when it is spring.
I see cattle grazing in the green fields; 
I see sparkling streams and rolling hills.

I pass cottage gardens looking all nice and neat; 
I pass people out walking and fields full of wheat.
I notice so many details as I ride on my way; 
I find myself wishing that I could stay all day.

When riding my bike, I feel such exhilaration: 
To me, it is one of the very best sensations! 
For a taste of the country, my heart often yearns; 
Back to the bustling town, I really hate to return.

                                                     *   *   *

Music for Reflection: I want to ride my bicycle - Queen

We are going to have some time for reflection now, when I invite you to remember Peter and if you wish, to say a silent prayer. 

Travel Quips

From the Perpetual Trave Calendar, read by Bryn

Pete, I took ‘Liberties’ with some of your favourite travel quotes:
 
As a two year old Pete crawling across the floor in Liverpool:   
"Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel I found my own introspective way into becoming part of it." (Eudora Welty)
 
Soon Pete was on two feet:  
"Walker, it is your footsteps that are the road, no more; walker, there is no road, the road is made by walking." (Antonio Machado, poet)
 
Walking and climbing up the North Ridge of Goat Fell, Tuesday 27th May 1986, a gale blowing, thunder rumbling, lightning flashing, the electricity of touching hands – with Pip: 
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." (Helen Keller)
 
Pete, in his professional development as a teacher:  
"We must get beyond text books, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of  wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey." (John Hope Franklin) 
And Peter became a cyclist.
 
Pete was not known to be a lover of cruise ships but:
"Take the Adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of your old life and into the new!" (Kenneth Grahame)  – on deck, seeing the Northern Lights.
 
"Deserts are charming to those who know how to see them" (John Muir, naturalist) – as Pete and Pip, cycling, were dwarfed by the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley.
 
Pete left the gardening to Pip:  
"For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free and spontaneous" (Edward Abbey, writer) – Pete, the cyclist, enjoyed visiting gardens……
 
"I had a placid belief that it was good for me to live in the midst of people whose motives I did not understand; this unreasoned conviction was clearly an attempt to legitimise my curiosity." (Peter Bowles, writer)
 
Pete, cycling the Kent countryside to Sissinghurst with Pip:                                    
"Travel is the most private of pleasures." (Vita Sackville-West) "The fool who travelled is better off than the wise man who stayed at home" (Rashi) –           

PETE,  BON VOYAGE.

Farewell to Peter

It is time now to say a formal farewell to Peter. We are going to say the words of farewell together – you will find them in your order of service – so I am going to speak briefly, and then I will invite you to read the words with me. Will you please stand.
 
As we send Peter’s body on its final journey, back to the dust of atoms and molecules to which all things must return, the Roman philosopher Lucretius has some words of wisdom for us: “Leave this world, Nature says, as you entered here. The same passage which you made from death to life, without fuss and without fear, make it again from life to death. Your death is in the order of things: it belongs to the life of the world.”
 
Peter is now immune to the chances and changes of mortal life. Life’s cares have ended for him; the person who we knew has already gone. And so with sadness and respect and love, we say goodbye:             

And now we say the words of farewell together:

Peter, we are glad that you lived
We delighted in your love and friendship
We treasure that we walked in life with you
We cherish our happy memories of you
We will never forget you.
With love we leave you in peace
To ride for evermore in the clouds
With respect we bid you farewell.

Exit music: You'll never walk Alone - Gerry and the Pacemakers (Peter was a life long Liverpool FC supporter)