I was deeply shocked and saddened this weekend to learn of the sudden death of my friend and work colleague Bob Lewis. He had been diagnosed with epilepsy some time ago and it seems likely that it was a fit that killed him on Friday. I only saw Bob for the last time last tuesday and at that point he seemed okay. My partner Suzanne had said he looked unwell in the period up to when he left work. Like a lot of local government workers Bob had opted for voluntary redundancy and only stopped working at the end of July. He had lots of plans for his retirement, which will never happen now. That is the part that really sticks in the craw. Bob was many things, and could be a major pain in the a*** sometimes. But that was who he was and he cared deeply about his work, people and music. He helped a tremendous number of people, including those whom others (myself included) would rather have turned their backs on. The world seems a poorer place without him and I still can't believe it has happened. Bob is survived by his partner Pam who thankfully has a large network of support around her at the moment, and is in all our thoughts.