As I reach nearer to my retirement in December, Patrick Hull has asked me to write a little about myself for The Bridge magazine. On 6 January 1982 I started as the Headteacher at Godmanchester County Primary School. Over that first week I met as many parents as possible to set out my aims for the school and particularly that the school was to be seen as their school and that I was fortunate to be able to work for them and in their community.

In those days the school was hardly used after the school day. As far as I can remember, by a private arrangement, Huntingdon Drama Group used the school hall and stage twice a week and that was it.

If I have achieved nothing else, I do hope people will accept that our school is now a fully fledged Community School. I hazard a guess that with the addition of our new pool Godmanchester is the most heavily used community school in the county, if not in the country. Make sure you all keep it up when I have gone.

I first became committed to the concept of Community Schools in 1968 when I was fortunate to work with Eric Midwinter in Liverpool on a then Labour government funded 'Educational Priority Area Project'. We attempted to involve parents in quite difficult and deprived areas of Liverpool in the life of their schools and in their children's education.

I was also very much influenced by two theologians as I studied Theology and Philosophy. These were Martin Buber, a Jewish writer and Max Scheler, a German Catholic writer. Their writings helped me develop a view that if we are to gain most from life it is by living in caring communities where every person is treated and cared for as a valued and responsible member.

Although I have studied theology since I was fifteen I am not conventionally religious. The problem for me is the natural world. It is, at basis, a harsh world where all species are forced to feed on other species if they are to survive. If this happened by chance then we just have to accept it and make the most of life. My conclusion is that we thinking humans need to create our own values and for me the highest value is that of learning to care for each other and as far as possible for all other species that exist.

You have permitted me to care for your children and endeavouring to ensure that your children feel secure and happy in school has been my major preoccupation throughout the past 17 years.

Patrick suggests that I write about my other interests.

My wife might say I care more about tennis than anything else. I was for a while captain of Cambridgeshire. Two hip replacements later I still play County vets and in national tournaments, including Wimbledon. I hope to play in more next year. My wife and I enjoy sports events and next year we will have more time to go and see them. For the past four years I have been teaching myself water-colour painting ready for retirement. I am not very good at it but delight in seeing the effect of water and colour on 'rough' paper. I read obsessively. There is so much still to learn and understand about the world. I have finally bought a computer and we are now on the Internet which is a wonderful development in opening up the whole world of knowledge for us.

In April I passed the National Lifeguard test (on the second attempt) and I have already lifeguarded twice at our new pool. I really enjoyed it, particularly because it allowed me to meet, help and have fun with not just our children but senior citizens, mothers and fathers, people from other areas and adult users who do not have children. If Carryl needs me for the odd session when I have retired I would be happy to work at the pool. It would also keep me up to date with the pool's progress.

As I come to the end of my time at Godmanchester, we approach the time when we will have two Primary Schools. Whilst this would not have been my personal preference, I am confident that our new head Mr Ellington and Mrs Kenna, the Head of St Anne's, will work hard together for the community and I would like to take this opportunity to wish them both every success.

I wish to thank everyone in Godmanchester for allowing me to spend the most rewarding years of my life in your super community.

Brian Brown