In my early twenties, confused and mixed up about the direction my life was going to take, I changed jobs and found myself working with a bunch of trades unionists and campaigners at Sheffield Occupational Health Project in the BEMOHI project (black and ethnic minority occupational health initiative) in the early 90’s. Simon Pickvance was one of those people. This experience of working with the likes of Simon, John Lawson , Allan Swann, Rory O’Neill, Mick Firth, Mick Williams (and many others) set me on a path of understanding what trade unionism was really truly about, representing often an ‘underclass’ of people, damaged by industry and whose lives were plagued with ill-health as a consequence . This marked my life and helped me develop my strong values of challenging unfairness and social injustices that has stayed with me to this day. I have gained so much from Simon and others who were leading these challenges and who also recognised some types of people/ workers needed support to understand more about their work and how it could be making them ill or raise their awareness that their work could mean they have an occupational disease later in life, if not currently aware of it. When my father died, Simon met with me, and we talked through the grief I felt that my father’s life was cut short through contracting leukaemia from the steel industry in which he worked from the age of 17, until his 40s when he was made redundant. I was still angry with the ‘system’ that did this to my dad and to others who were dying of the same disease. Simon listened to my anger and frustration, in his inimitable, calm and focussed manner, about these men I described like my dad who believed they were bettering their lives and those of the families they left behind when they came from Pakistan to Sheffield and that processes and chemicals they worked with would impact upon them later and their lives would be cut short. Working with Simon and all the others at Sheffield Occupational Health Project is still to this day, the best job I had and helped me change the course my life was due to take. I unfortunately needed to leave Sheffield and therefore went on and did other work. However, it is to the credit of the organisation that Simon helped set up and where I had the privilege of growing and learning that I continued with trades union activity and continued to raise concerns for worker safety, workers welfare and fairness in the workplace, challenging racism and oppression whoever were the victims. These people are true unsung leaders who humbly carried on the cause and took the challenges to the highest levels of authority nationally and internationally, to ensure their knowledge and research made the impact it needed to for the benefit of ordinary workers. Simon I wish I could have said this to you - you were truly an inspiration to me and you will never be forgotten. Love and peace to all family,friends and comrades of Simon. xxxx