More than 30 years ago, he was awarded the MBE: nobody could have worn his honour more modestly. He was an inspiration to generations of potters, as well as being one of the easiest people to love and respect. We first met in 1974, when I went to live within Winchcombe Catholic parish, of which Ray and his wife Muriel were quiet stalwarts. Muriel involved me in the formation of the town's overseas development project, a charity we called Save a starving village trust - an informal "twinning" of Winchcombe with Kanjianal in Bangladesh. The bowl Ray gave us for our wedding present remains one of our most treasured possessions - now alas, a little chipped. What a privilege it was to have known Winchcombe's most distinguished craftsman - indeed resident!
I took this photograph on 18th March 1993, the day Jodami won the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
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