My father-in-law, Mick May, who has died aged 63 of mesothelioma, spent the first 20 years of his professional life in financial services before realising his true passion for the voluntary sector, and co-founding the charitable enterprise Blue Sky. In the latter years of his life, Mick also added “author” to his list of accolades, with the publication of his book Cancer and Pisces, celebrating his two chief passions in life: fishing and his family.
Described by the former prime minister David Cameron as “the only company in the country where you need a criminal record to work there”, Blue Sky was set up as a social enterprise winning work from local authorities and housing associations, and fulfilling the contracts with a workforce of ex-offender employees. Originating as a few small teams in and around Slough in Berkshire and Hillingdon in west London, the charity grew into a nationwide operation employing more than 2,000 ex-offenders. In 2017 Blue Sky merged with the former Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust to form the Forward Trust, and in 2016 Mick was appointed OBE in recognition of his work with ex-offenders.
Mick was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, to Peter May, a career soldier known as “Crackers” for his daring streak, and Liz (nee Parkin), a military wife. His early years were spent in Northumberland before he was enrolled in 1972 at Eton, where his high spirits and aversion to discipline resulted in him being sent to the Aloisiuskolleg school in Germany for one term to tame his exuberance; an exercise that enabled him to see through the rest of his school career at Eton. From there, he went on to St Andrews University to read history, a subject for which he carried an abiding love for the rest of his life. After graduating, Mick moved to London and embarked on his City career where, happily, he met Jill Langham, whom he married in 1988.
In 2013, Mick was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the terminal asbestos-linked cancer, which has an average life expectancy of 10 months. Yet, despite the odds being stacked against him, Mick went on to enjoy a further nine years, which he described as the most productive and happiest of his life, many of which are recalled in his 2020 memoir, Cancer and Pisces.
The book charts Mick’s love of fishing and his days spent on the riverbanks of some of the most beautiful parts of England and further afield, set against the backdrop of his cancer treatment. Ultimately, though, the book is an ode to Mick’s wife, Jill, and their six children – Lara, Ivo (my husband), Paddy, India-Rose, Honor and Daisy – whom he loved fiercely and unequivocally. Following the publication of Cancer and Pisces, an angling charity was set up under the same name, with the sole aim of using the therapy of fishing to aid those undergoing the trauma of cancer.
Mick is survived by Jill and their six children, and his two siblings, Georgina and Sarah.
