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A vicar who was a “dedicated campaigner” for vulnerable people has died after almost a month battling Covid-19 in hospital.
The Reverend Peter Holmes, 65, had led St Peter’s church in Norbiton, near Kingston upon Thames, since 1993 and was due to retire later this year.
An asthma sufferer, he began self-isolating in mid-March and was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties at the beginning of April.
When his condition deteriorated, he was moved to intensive care and placed on a ventilator, but he died on Saturday.
His final text message to his wife Carol and four children before being put under sedation was: “Love each other, love God, run for Jesus. Whichever way this goes, I love you all.”
In 2013, the vicar converted part of the old church hall into a night shelter for up to 14 people.
He was a founder of the Joel Community Project and helped set up Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness, one of the charities that forms the Homeless Collective being supported by the Evening Standard’s Homeless Fund charity appeal.
Matt Hatton, operational director at Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness, described him as “an amazing man with the biggest heart.”
He added: “He did so much for people who were vulnerable and helped so many get back on their feet. He was a dedicated campaigner and will be truly missed. I feel blessed to have been able to call him my friend.”
In an emotional video appeal for prayers shortly before his father’s death, his son Tom Holmes, 32, said: “My dad, as a vicar in the Church of England, at this time of year would usually be leading Easter services then hosting the family for celebrations with a roast meal and an egg hunt in the garden. This year he’s on a ventilator on intensive care, our family separated.”
He added: “He doesn’t face death with fear as he’s confident of where he’s going. My dad has done thousands of funerals over the years and reassured many people that this isn’t the end.”
