John Moat 1936—2014

We are very sad to announce that John Moat, co-founder of Arvon with John Fairfax, has died. We understand that John passed away on Tuesday September 16.  He had been ill for some time.

John was a hugely inspirational and warm-hearted man whose creative energy was boundless.  He was a talented poet, novelist and painter, and he created a stunning garden at his home on the North Devon coast. He was a wonderful teacher, of course, and he brought this skill and a passion for sharing poetry with young people to generations through the founding of Arvon in 1968. John was particularly eager to connect with people from all walks of life who had no experience of writing, and this remains a cornerstone of Arvon’s charitable work to this day.

Countless numbers of British writers have been inspired by Arvon, and we are proud to say that as Arvon approaches its 50^th birthday, John’s legacy is more alive and vibrant than it has ever been.

Our most caring thoughts are with John’s family, Antoinette, and Ben and Elsbeth at such a heart-breaking time.

We are planning an Arvon celebration of John Moat’s life for Spring 2015 in London and will share the details nearer the time.

Ruth Borthwick

Chief Executive

Arvon

18 September 2014

Obituaries  of John Moat,  in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Independent.