Percy Fitzgerald Award for John Cox

On 23 rd September at the Nottingham Mechanics Institute, the Nottingham Dickens Fellowship Branch was delighted to present the Percy Fitzgerald Award to our retiring Vice-Chairman, John Cox. John has been a member of the branch for over forty years, has been its Chairman, and has been its Vice-Chairman for more than twenty years. He was also Chair of the Central management committee, and is well-known to Dickensians for his frequent attendance in previous years at the
annual conference. For many years he raised funds for the Branch and for charities through the Reading Group of the branch, for some years with his wife Ann and fellow-member Kate Bramley, then with Ann and the current Chair of the branch, Anita Fernandez Young. He epitomises all the Dickensian virtues, good humour, good fellowship and generosity of spirit. Recently passing his 90 th birthday, John is stepping back from some of his responsibilities, but we hope to see him at meetings
and continue to enjoy his company. One of John’s earliest memories is of his father reading a chapter of The Pickwick Papers to him at night before bed, and it remains a favourite work. His leading of our reading sessions and his wonderful rendition of characters like Bill Sikes, Wackford Squeers, Mr Bumble, Rogue Riderhood and many more, will long be remembered.