John worked as a community activist in North Kensington in the 1960s and 70s.

He was a co-founder of the first Law Centre, North Kensington Law Centre, in 1970 and was involved in fighting for community space under Westway and supporting tenants in their struggles against bad landlords.

In the 1970s, John was appointed to lead the Canning Town Community Development Project (CDP) in Newham, part of a national government programme to tackle poverty and deprivation.

He subsequently moved to Lambeth where he set up and worked for the Stockwell and Clapham Law Centre as an education worker.

John was responsible for the expansion into the education field by Law Centres and many thousands of expelled children were helped directly and indirectly by him.

As a front-row forward, both physically and intellectually, John was a force to be reckoned with, but he was a kind, caring human being who will be greatly missed by all his friends and, of course, by his wife Jan, their daughters Catherine, Kim and Joey, their grandchildren Rubi and Leon, and his sister Helen.