Deacon Jan Sutton from the Centre for Faith and Spirituality led a short service to celebrate Phil’s life and contribution to the University.

Phil worked at the University for many years, latterly as the Director of IT for the School of Business and Economics. Phil was a strong advocate for the LGBT+ community and previously Chair of the Staff LGBT+ Group.

Current chair and University Teacher, Chris McLeod said: “It was such a fitting ceremony to dedicate a plaque to Phil in the University’s Garden of Remembrance. I’m so grateful to have spent time with Phil when I was the Student LGBT+ Officer, and he was the LGBT+ Staff Chair. We used to discuss LGBT+ matters over coffee regularly, but would occasionally go and sing show tunes together in the Cope Auditorium.

“With that in mind, I was so grateful that Phil’s husband, Simon, asked me to read the lyrics to ‘I am what I am’ during the service. To bring some ‘Phil’ to the occasion, it felt right to deliver the words while wearing a pink feather boa and some large, winged sunglasses, just as Phil might have done. We miss Phil greatly, but continue to love and remember him and all he did for LGBT+ people on our campuses.”