Thanks for taking the time to visit this donations page in memory of Vic Finlayson.  Vic died peacefully in hospital on January 28th after a very short illness, seven weeks after his 90th birthday.  

Vic had a full and eventful life. One of seven children, he left school at 13 and worked in the Leith dockyards; joined the navy and served in WW2 in the Pacific; went back into education and graduated as a mature student from London University (Queen Mary College) with a degree in biochemistry, then taught at several colleges before joining the Open University in Bristol soon after its inception, where he remained as a Reader in Biochemistry and Staff Tutor until his retirement. He also found time to stand as a parliamentary candidate in two general elections and to nurture an allotment with dedication for 30 years. He was pivotal in a campaign to stop the allotments being sold to developers and helped to turn a small part of the land into a 'millennium green' for the use of the local community.

Originally from Edinburgh, Vic spent his adult years in London before moving to Bath where he and his wife Jean raised their children, and then moved, a year ago, to Norwich. 

He is survived by Jean, his children Natasha and Alan, and his grandchildren Luke, Ellie, Jake and Rhydian.

Note about the choice of charity: Vic had a tough and impoverished childhood. He felt very strongly about equality of opportunity, social justice and eradicating poverty. His mother had been in a children's home, leaving when she gained a position as a servant. Vic supported this charity because it helps young people in care and young care leavers to believe in themselves and supports them to improve their life prospects.