Peter Mitchell

1935 - 2025

Mango lassi in London

September 2017 - South of France

Peter and Joan on the beach at Anglesey

Captain of Thanet Wanderers

The best of friends - Peter and cousin Arthur, cycling in North Vancouver

With parents, Emma and Alf, on a visit to St Albans

Peter's Hadfield family - Geoff, Avis, Peter, Emma, Phil, George, uncle George and Arthur

Zoom with the grandchildren, Tanguy, Sylvain and Julie

Peter walking beside the River Ouse in the South Downs

Peter Mitchell, Funeral Programme Page 01

Peter Mitchell died in Norwich on 19 January 2025. This website is for family, friends and colleagues to remember Peter. It's a celebration of a wonderful man.

Peter's funeral was on Monday 10 February in Norwich. There was a reception in the Music Room in the Assembly House. Peter's family wrote and collated the words, pictures and music. Peter's son, Andrew, and his friend, David Miles gave personal tributes.

Here is a link to the funeral. Scroll down to find or add your own memories of Peter (Thoughts), or photos (Pictures).

Life Stories has the eulogy and closing words, and tributes from Peter's colleague, David Miles and his cousin, Arthur Hadfield. There is also the programme which features many photos and the music.

Funeral service

10th February 2025 at 11:30 am

If you would like to make a donation in Peter's memory there are two charities: Young Camden Foundation and St Martins Housing in Norwich

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Pictures

Mango lassi in London

September 2017 - South of France

Snape Maltings, March 2023

Easter on the river bank in Martham with Gillian and Devin

Cringleford garden in the spring

With Gordon and two Helens in Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse

This is the first page of a leaflet issued to publicise the launch the new Education Department in Camden in 1990. Two pages to follow.

Page 2 of the publicity leaflet for Camden. The team Peter put together.

Page 3. The rest of the team.

Tanguy, Joan, Andrew, Peter, Sylvain and Julie

Peter, Andrew and Joan

Peter with his brother Phil's daughter, Jane Mitchell

Peter with his granddaughter, Julie Mitchell

Lancashire Hotpot

With cousin Arthur's wife, Pat from Vancouver, and Joan, at the house in Woodthorpe

Peter and family in St Albans

Peter in the South Downs with son, Andrew

Peter with Gillian and Devin, his Nova Scotia neice and nephew, Joan's brother Gordon's children

Family holiday Pembrokeshire, jumpers by Peter's mum, Emma

A work gathering at the house in Leicestershire

Peter and Joan on the beach at Anglesey

Peter and Joan's wedding, Ashton-Under-Lyne, 1 August 1959

Peter and team at Quintin Kynaston - QK

Captain of Thanet Wanderers

Walking with friends and dog

Alf, Emma, Peter and Phil, Shelley Grove, Droylsden

1920s trip on the Great Central Railway, Leicestershire

The best of friends - Peter and cousin Arthur, cycling in North Vancouver

With parents, Emma and Alf, on a visit to St Albans

At the Bridgewater Concert Hall, Manchester with Phil and Catherine Mitchell, and Joan

Heigham Holme on the Upper Thurne in Norfolk

With Andrew's French family- Andrew, Florence, Joan, Peter, Jean-Pierre and a young Sylvain

Andrew and Marie-Laure's wedding in France

In Anglesey with Joan

Bricklaying in Cooksbridge

Helen's graduation in Brighton

Phil visiting Peter in Broadstairs

With his father, Alf Mitchell

Norwich garden with Caspar, Julie, Helen, Joan, Peter, Giles and Jill Roditi, Manon and Tanguy

Peter's Hadfield family - Geoff, Avis, Peter, Emma, Phil, George, uncle George and Arthur

With Helen and Andrew in St Albans

Filming 'Pirates of Cooksbridge' with the grandchildren

With grandson, Sylvain

Joan, Peter, Arthur and Nicola in Cringleford

Coffee in Eaton Park Café, Norwich

On holiday, Canadian Rockies?

Peter and Joan with John and Jo Jenvey

Peter walking beside the River Ouse in the South Downs

Peter and Joan walking with Andrew

With brother Phil and his wife, Catherine, Cooksbridge

Family boat trip with Joan, Caspar and Tanguy, Sussex

With Helen at Small Publishers Fair 2023 in Conway Hall

Zoom with the grandchildren, Tanguy, Sylvain and Julie

Peter and Joan with Marilyn Toft and Mike and Julia Daniel. Russell Square, London

Kitchen scene with Caspar and Joan

With Helen, Charis Roditi and Joan, Cringleford

St Benets Abbey in Norfolk

Trip to London with cousin Arthur - best of friends

Wildlife Boat trip on the Broads with friend, Jo from Sussex

Joan and Peter with Shirley and Charis Roditi

Flowers at the Assembly House in Norwich, at the reception after the funeral.

Andrew speaking at Peter's funeral in Norwich.

Anna, Joan and Helen, behind, Peter's PA Brenda, and David Miles.

Peter, on screen at the Assembly House reception after the funeral in Norwich.

Mitchell and Roditi families at the Assembly House reception after the funeral in Norwich. Photo by Sylvain and Tanguy.

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Thoughts

I first met Peter and Joan when they moved to Cooksbridge. I always felt comfortable with them. We share the same world view and football club! Peter was the beating heart of the committee that transformed a bashed up football hut into the superb Beechwood Hall and Country Park that we have today. It serves the community in just the way Peter would have wished, and is a testament to his patience and endurance. How long was it, Joan? Three years!? It’s Peter’s legacy to the communuty he served so well. My memories of Peter are of someone whose glass was always half full. I miss him, and that broad smile.

Jo, Cooksbridge and Norwich

My Mentor Peter was my A level geography teacher and helped keep my rebellious feet on the ground. We kept in touch during my university years and then he persuaded me to leave a teaching post to work under him at Thomas Bennett Comp. An amazing Head of Humanities, a powerful commitment to the best education for all kids, a true mentor. RIP Peter

I was a teacher at Quintin Kynaston in the mid 1970s to early 1980s, just starting out on my career. I’d done my PGCE at QK, there was no job available, so I went off and taught elsewhere for a year. Your father kept in touch, said that he’d like me back whenever a post became available, and at the end of that year I returned to QK as an English teacher. I loved my time there, challenging though it was teaching in a school that was changing from all boys to mixed, and after the merger of a grammar and secondary modern school. Peter created a team around him that worked enthusiastically and collaboratively to improve the lives of all children, regardless of their difficulties and disadvantages. Peter was an incredible Headteacher - highly principled, humane, always working in the interests of students – and teachers – and hugely inspiring to me and others. I’ll never forget the addresses to teachers at the beginning of term, which sent us off into the classroom fired up and energised, focused on what was most important. He provided me with a bedrock of principles and priorities for the whole of my career in education. He was also a very approachable Headteacher. I always felt that I could talk to him about any concerns and issues and he took a real interest in everyone’s ideas, regardless of your rank or years of experience. That is quite rare in education now, I think. One memory…I was on duty once over the lunchtime, and Peter was, as always visible and available. There was an incident where a youth - not a QK student - entered the school searching for one of our students. He was carrying a knife, though I didn’t realise this till later. Peter calmly, quietly and gently talked to him, and he left the school. Later he told us that the boy was carrying a knife. His ability to handle an incident such as this, showed his great skill in dealing with people and difficult situations.

Barbara Bleiman

19th February 2025

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If you would like to make a donation in Peter's memory there are two charities: Young Camden Foundation and St Martins Housing in Norwich

Fundraising for

St Martins Housing Trust

Young Camden Foundation