by Neil Baldwin
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges to a Christian (and indeed for a non-Christian too) is to fulfil the great command of Jesus to ‘love one another’. Neil has managed to do this by treating all people exactly the same – irrespective of any of the usual things that others use to differentiate, like age or status. Neil simply accepts people as they are and in this provides food for thought for us all.
MALCOLM
Reverend Michael Harding, who was at St Paul’s church, Newcastle-under-Lyme, from 1970 to 1999, and was the Rural Dean of Newcastle, has known Neil for more than forty years.
Neil asks me about clergy movements in North Staffs. Nowadays the diocesan diary is circulated to bishops, archdeacons – and to Neil. He phones me up every week (but daily for a few months after his mother died) to share his news.
He often provides reassurance to strangers. They know they have at least one friend rooting for them in a strange land, as with the lonely Keele University freshers or any newcomer who attends Keele University chapel, where he hands out the service books.
I once mentioned Neil in a sermon and afterwards a lady said that she’d known him when he was a teenager. Her mother, who lived just opposite the Stoke FC ground, had been employed as the ‘official mother’ to look after young footballers arriving from all parts of Britain. She recalled how Neil would regularly turn up at her mother’s house for a cup of tea, and sit chatting to these newcomers so that they began to feel at home in the Potteries. I wonder whether Lou Macari knew that?
He always attended services when a new vicar was installed, to welcome them to the area, but now he also makes up an individual prayer card which he gives to everyone who is ordained deacon or priest in the Lichfield diocese, welcoming them to their new role in life, reminding them of their tasks and assuring them that he will continue praying for them.
He’s taken to attending the services when a priest is consecrated as a bishop, welcoming them to their new role and presenting his prayer card for them too. I gather that bishops in procession, say in Westminster Abbey, are inclined to bow to him as they pass, or even give him a wink.
At Keele, whether you’re a brilliant footballer or wouldn’t get into the university teams, there’s a welcome to enjoy a game through Neil’s team, playing against other institutions, Oxford and Cambridge colleges, theological colleges, and sometimes even professionals. It’s reassuring to know that you don’t have to be a star footballer to enjoy the game.
Neil, says Revd Harding, is a living symbol of the lines from the Magnificat: ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and hath exalted the humble and meek.’
NEIL
Reverend Michael has been a very good friend of mine for many years. He is a marvellous minister.
In 2013, the university awarded me its highest degree. It was marvellous to be given an honorary degree by Keele University, which is the best university in the world.
The university has looked after me and I’ve looked after the university. I’ve known all the vice chancellors since Harold Taylor and the present one, Professor Nick Foskett, is one of the best. I don’t think I would have got the degree if he hadn’t become vice chancellor. I am sorry he is retiring in 2015, but I am looking forward to working with Trevor McMillan, who is taking over. He is a very nice man.
MALCOLM
In recent years, a number of us had proposed to the university that Neil should be awarded an honorary degree. A lot of people get honorary degrees when they have contributed a lot less to the university than Neil. But we never got anywhere, and I wasn’t particularly optimistic. I thought universities simply don’t give honorary degrees to people like Neil.
But I underestimated Keele, because, one day in the late autumn of 2012, Neil rang me to tell me that the Vice Chancellor wanted to see him. ‘What do you think he wants?’ I had no idea.
No sooner had Neil had his meeting with Professor Foskett than he was back on the blower with the exciting news that it was indeed about an honorary degree. He could hardly contain himself, but told me that he had been told not to tell anyone, so I had to keep it secret.
Not long after, someone else told me in confidence that Neil had been told in confidence that he was getting the degree. Then someone else told me, again in strict confidence. This happened several times over the following weeks. It became one of those secrets that everybody knows. Professor Foskett said later that Neil’s degree was the worst-kept secret in the history of honorary degrees at Keele. But nobody really minded, as everyone was delighted for him.
So, on a warm summer’s day in July 2013, Neil joined the graduating undergraduates and postgraduates and their parents at a ceremony in the University Chapel, at which Professor Foskett conferred an honorary master’s degree on him.
Professor Foskett describes an honorary degree as the highest degree the university can award:
Recipients of honorary degrees have had to make a distinguished contribution to the local community in some way. It is a bit like the honours list. Neil met that measure. The award of the degree illustrates the key character of Keele: warm, welcoming, open to a diverse community and having a real sense of community spirit. Neil epitomises that.
He told a story that reminded me of what had happened to one of his predecessors, Professor David Harrison, many years before:
When I was appointed as vice chancellor the very first written communication I had was a letter from Neil congratulating me on my appointment and inviting me to join him in the chapel. I was quite touched.
Neil is very engaging and captures what Keele is all about. He always has a cheerful word to say and exudes genuine warmth. How much he means to the Keele community is recognised in his honorary degree. He has had a longer engagement with Keele than almost anyone else here, certainly longer than anyone on the staff.
A lot of Keele people take him under their wing and keep a watchful eye on him. It is a slightly quirky tradition, which represents a genuine sense of social obligation. It is part of the commitment to Keele that we are all trustees for Neil, but equally he makes a very positive contribution to this community. He is part of the folklore of Keele.
The official university citation for the degree reads:
In recognition of his life-long personal commitment to advancing the sporting, social and charitable life of students at Keele University and in the wider community of North Staffordshire.
Neil Baldwin has been adopted by the student body over the last 54 years as something of a mascot for Keele. He has watched, supported and kept in touch with successive cohorts of Keele students building an impressive network of alumni contacts both nationally and internationally. A proud royal enthusiast and representative of Keele, Neil has even managed to collar the Duke of Edinburgh to offer his opinion on various world issues.
The Neil Baldwin Football Club features prominently in local press as Neil, who manages the club, recruits predominantly from Keele. Alongside his involvement with the chapel, Neil has been actively involved in charity fundraising through the rag. Recently Neil has focused his fundraising efforts on the Cheetham’s children’s ward at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
He serves the students offering advice and support to students, remaining steadfastly proud and loyal to Keele. In doing so he has openly defended Keele and voiced his concern about any issue that affects Keele to his numerous contacts within Parliament, the various leaders of Christian denomination churches, volunteer organizations and business leaders across the country whom he regularly visits.
Visiting alumni are often greeted by Neil and he is instantly recognisable, even to Keele alumni from as far back as the 1960s. Neil Baldwin has remained a loyal friend of Keele and has positively contributed to the University experience of hundreds of students.
Reverend Michael Harding likes the idea that a university, whose aim is the pursuit of truth, should honour a man who speaks the truth uninhibitedly. ‘Little children can come out with things you’d rather not ta
lk about. Neil’s like that. Neil will not only talk about the elephant in the room, but pat its trunk. He has a child-like (not childish) simplicity.’
The proposal to award the degree to Neil on this occasion had come from the Students’ Union, and it was one of my successors as president of the union, Joe Turner, who gave the oration to present Neil with his honorary degree at the degree ceremony. He said:
Neil Baldwin has been part of Keele for over fifty years now. He has seen every building go up around Keele except for Keele Hall (he told me he’s not that old). In that time, his loyalty, openness and enthusiasm has meant that he has been adopted by the student body as a mascot for Keele.
As Francis Beckett from The Guardian put it, ‘He walked into the Students’ Union in 1960, an engaging schoolboy with learning difficulties from the local town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and became a fixture.’ Nearest to Neil’s heart have been the students and the Church.
Indeed, in March 1960, as a fourteen-year-old lad, Neil visited Keele campus, where his mother worked. The first places he saw were the chapel and Students’ Union Nissen huts. Back then, there were few cars, no mobile phones and a limited bus service. Thoroughly enjoying his day out, Neil missed the last bus and found himself stuck on campus. Having met Neil earlier, a few students offered to put him up for the night in their hut. Speaking to Neil before today, he remembers the dinner of pie and chips with peas which they made for him.
This was the beginning of a symbiotic relationship between Neil and the students of Keele, which has continued to this day. A welcoming face from your first day starting at Keele, he has watched, supported and kept in touch with successive cohorts of Keele students, building an impressive network of alumni contacts both national and international. In return, whenever Neil is on campus there will usually be a student by his side having a chat or simply making sure he doesn’t need anything.
A big part of Neil’s life has been the jobs he has held in the circus as Nello the Clown, bringing joy to hundreds if not thousands of children. Neil may even be the first clown to receive an honorary degree.
He then went on to become kit man for Stoke City Football Club. Lou Macari, a former Stoke City manager, is quoted calling Neil his ‘best-ever signing’ and goes on to say that, ‘His real value was in helping the players relax before games. No chemist ever produced a drug that could reduce stress levels like Nello. I’m convinced that gave us an edge in matches. Nello bonded the group.’
Neil brought this enthusiasm for fun and football back to Keele, setting up the Neil Baldwin Football Club for students of any ability wanting to play. Managed by Neil, the association is chaired by Kevin Keegan and our very own chancellor, [the environmentalist and writer] Jonathon Porritt.
He told a story by Professor Linden West about the NBFC:
Cambridge University invited Neil’s team for a match and, following a lavish lunch and 6–0 up towards the end of the first half of the match, they began to suspect that they might not be playing the university’s official football team. Since then, though, Neil’s students have returned annually to play Cambridge for the Neil Baldwin Cup.
Neil can be modest about his abilities but, with his football club’s season of no defeats in all nine games played this year, we were all sure that he had good odds on becoming Stoke City’s next manager before Mark Hughes was appointed.
Being a devout Christian, Neil regularly attends chapel services, helping out where he can. Neil has taken it upon himself to personally greet every potential new chaplain, treating them to lunch. It’s not surprising, then, that he has met every chaplain who has ever been at Keele and his links within the church community mean that he is on first-name terms with many of the clergy in the Church of England. Neil is affectionately referred to as the Bishop of Keele.
Alongside his involvement with the chapel, Neil has been actively involved in charity fundraising through Rag, helping to raise thousands of pounds for cancer research and Alzheimer’s charities. Recently, Neil has focused his fundraising efforts on the Cheetham’s children’s ward at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
He serves the students, offering advice and support to students, remaining steadfastly proud of Keele. In doing so, he’s openly defended the university, voicing his concerns about any issue that may affect Keele to his numerous contacts within Parliament, the church leaders and business leaders across the country, whom he regularly visits. Being a proud royalist and ambassador for Keele, Neil has spoken to the Duke of Edinburgh to offer him a few pointers on running the country.
Our returning alumni are often greeted by Neil and he is instantly recognisable, even to the first cohorts of Keele graduates who we call our ‘golden graduates’. Neil Baldwin has remained a loyal friend of Keele and has positively contributed to the university experience of hundreds of students in his time here.
I don’t doubt that Neil’s parents would have been very proud of the life that Neil has led and all of his achievements leading up to this special day.
Neil, resplendent in his robes, and enjoying every minute of the ceremony while characteristically displaying no nerves at all, replied:
I was told that I shouldn’t write a long speech, so I’ve shortened it, but it was hard because I’ve been here for over fifty-four years. It’s a great day to be at Keele.
I can actually say that I remember this place when it was all fields. I’ve seen every building go up (except Keele Hall).
I’ve met each of our four chancellors, six vice chancellors and the many thousands of students as they’ve come to Keele, not forgetting all the staff.
The person who sticks out most in my mind is a young lad called Malcolm Clarke. Well, he used to be a young lad. I watched him grow from the nervous first-year student to a strong union president. In his year as president, he made me an honorary member of the Students’ Union, which was something I was always grateful for.
Keele has always been a welcoming place to me and I have tried to return the kindness that everyone has shown me.
The Church has always been a big part of my life and I’ve made many good friends over the years, which include the chaplains, and seventy-nine students who have gone on to become part of the clergy.
I have tried to keep in touch with these students and many others to make sure that they are getting on all right.
What I’ve found from talking to them is that you should try to find something that you enjoy doing and always remember that, when times get tough, work hard and things will get better. I wish you every success in life and good luck with whatever you choose to do.
I never set out to get any rewards or prizes for the work that I’ve done because I enjoy what I do and the people I have met.
If someone had told me, all those years ago, when I first came to Keele, that I would be receiving this honour alongside a home-grown Olympic athlete, a famous businesswoman, a knight of the realm and a lord sheriff, I would have told them to stop being silly.
It is a great privilege to be given this honorary degree by the university that I love. It is a beautiful gift to receive from the Vice Chancellor and all the university staff.
I could go on and tell you lots of interesting stories about Keele and my life but I’ll stop there and say: thank you very much for this honour, and congratulations to all of you graduating today.
After the ceremony Neil proudly enjoyed having his photograph taken with the Chancellor, Jonathon Porritt, and the other dignitaries, as well as his friends. Later that week he proudly attended the dinner given by the university for the honorary graduates and others. I was also privileged to attend that dinner, and it was great to see Neil getting recognition in such distinguished company.
Neil’s longstanding friend, Tony Bartlett, spoke for a lot of us: ‘I was never so proud of Keele as when they gave Neil his honorary master’s degree. His values have been rewarded.’
NEIL
It was a great day. In 1977 Malcolm had let me wear his PhD gow
n on the day of his ceremony and I was photographed with it on next to my mum. Now I had my own, and it’s better than his. The very day I got the degree would have been my father’s hundredth birthday. How marvellous is that! I’m sure that he and my mum were very proud to see me up there getting the degree, because I know they are watching me from up there.
MALCOLM
One of the people who helped Neil prepare for the big day was Sara Pointon, the Vice Chancellor’s PA. As a relative newcomer to Keele, she has her own angle on the relationship between Neil and the university:
I came to Keele in 2008 and almost immediately I was made aware of Neil. Some people tried to block him from seeing the then Vice Chancellor, Janet Finch, or just put him off in one way or another. I remember him ringing up to invite Janet to his birthday party, which I thought was a really lovely thing for him to do, but of course the message never got through.
In 2012 Neil came to see me, in connection with the decision to award him an honorary degree. We got speaking, he asked me about my son, Vincent – I have his picture in my office – and asked if he had ever been to the circus, to which I replied, no, he hadn’t. So Neil then said, ‘Right, I want to take you and Vincent to the circus – on me.’ I didn’t really think it would happen, but he kept ringing and, eventually, Family Pointon went to the circus in May 2013, and, true to his word, it was free, except, of course, that it cost us a fortune in popcorn, sweets and cans of fizzy pop for both him and Vincent.