ECHO FOUNDER’S LIFE CELEBRATED

Around 80 people gathered at the Village Hotel yesterday afternoon for the long-delayed celebration of the life of ECHO founder, Graham Partridge. Graham died in January 2020, aged 68.

As a succession of speakers testified, Graham’s contribution to the community went way beyond creating ECHO, important though that was.

Among the initiatives he was responsible for, or was involved in, were the New Diggers, Drop in the Ocean wholefood co-operative, Coventry Talking Newspaper for the Blind, the original Earlsdon Village Festival in 1978 and Coventry City Farm, whilst his other interests included rock music, tennis, running, drumming, and dance. That was all in his spare time, but he also worked for Coventry City Libraries in a wide variety of roles across the city over four decades.

There was inevitable sadness at such an occasion but also an outpouring of positive emotions at our good fortune at having known a person of such integrity, enthusiasm and energy.