My associate, Mike Lane, who has died aged 76 of a neuroendocrine tumour, was the founding father of a charity mentoring younger individuals who had been liable to exclusion from faculty and serving to to stop delinquent behaviour in Upminster, east London.
Following a profitable profession operating a motor-caravan rent enterprise, within the late Nineteen Nineties Mike started volunteering with Havering Youth Offending Group. This in flip led to a second profession as a mentor, speaker and coach to younger individuals.
Mike was born in Bathtub, son of Ronald Lane and Joan (nee Tungatt), each civil servants working in Customs and Excise. He attended Royal Liberty faculty, Romford, Essex, and in his early grownup life had a wide range of admin jobs, together with at R White’s Lemonade and for Nice Common mail-order catalogue firm.
In 1973 Mike purchased a Volkswagen motorhome to rent throughout the summer season months. The next 12 months he began Hireway (Havering) Ltd and the fleet expanded to 6 automobiles. He continued with the enterprise for 25 years, handing over to his enterprise associate within the Nineteen Nineties.
By way of his work as a governor on the Coopers Firm and Coburn faculty, Upminster, in 2004 he was approached by members of Upminster Residents’ Affiliation to ask if he may assist to resolve a youth behaviour downside exterior an area McDonald’s, because the police appeared powerless to intervene. Mike convened a gathering of the representatives from the 4 nearest secondary faculties to debate what might be accomplished. Because of this, Mike went to speak to 12 months 10 pupils at two of the colleges concerning the penalties of delinquent behaviour. He was a agency believer in utilizing restorative justice, asking the scholars to mirror on everybody affected by their behaviour.
The teachings had been so profitable that Mike’s work was rolled out in all 18 secondary faculties in Havering. In 2006 he launched a charity, Voluntary Youth Group, to proceed the undertaking. Its administration committee was made up of individuals skilled in sufferer help, an area councillor, a retired police officer, members of the youth offending staff and faculty governors. The work included workshops, classes in faculties, and particular person mentoring for these liable to exclusion. Mike organised boxing classes, trampolining and journeys to go to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant for cooking workshops.
Mike by no means retired and continued working for the charity. He additionally cherished gardening and spending time together with his grandchildren. Regardless of his sickness this summer season he acted as a house invigilator for college kids unable to attend their exams at college or faculty.
He’s survived by his daughter, Katie, from his marriage to Joyce, which resulted in divorce; his stepson, Simon; 4 grandchildren, Tom, Emma, Jacob, Eva; and by me.
