Ex-Henry Box teacher killed in Cumbria (From Witney Gazette)

Ex-Henry Box teacher killed in Cumbria

1:43pm Tuesday 16th January 2007 in Witney By Rosalind Miles

AN OUTDOOR instructor who taught many Oxfordshire schoolchildren has died after his canoe capsized in Cumbria.

David Thorne, 49, pictured, was an instructor at the Woodlands Centre, at Glasbury on Wye, a centre which was regularly visited by Oxfordshire pupils during school trips.

The married father-of-two, who lived in Talybont-on-Usk, in Wales, was killed while canoeing on the River Lune, in Killington, in Kendal, Cumbria, earlier this month. A friend who was in the canoe at the same time swam to safety. The body of Mr Thorne was found five miles downriver.

He had worked at the centre for 20 years, and had previously worked at Henry Box School, in Witney.

Friend Jim Naylon, of Woodstock Road, Stonesfield, said: "Dave had spent most of his working life introducing young people to the great outdoors.

"His passion for adventurous activities enthused many hundreds of youngsters from schools across the county, who benefited from his teaching and guidance whilst staying at The Woodlands Centre, one of Oxfordshire's outdoor centres.

"Dave, who will be greatly missed by a large number of friends and colleagues, believed that outdoor experiences and adventures were there to be enjoyed and that they developed, in youngsters, a sense of responsibility and self-confidence, and he would want people to continue to enjoy the challenges of the great outdoors."

Rod Walker, headteacher of Henry Box School, said: "The news of David Thorne's death has been a shock to the school, as there are still quite a number of colleagues who worked with him at the school. They have been greatly saddened to hear of his death, and the school is being represented at his funeral."

He leaves behind a wife, Sue, and children Andrew and Elen.

Picture: Dyfed Powys Police/PA