Tributes to 'caring, loving and stand-out' Clitheroe bookshop owner with a big heart

Jonathan Patrick Harding was diagnosed with cancer in January and was undergoing lots of medical investigations. Unfortunately, he developed jaundice and pancreatitis following an endoscopy procedure. By the time the pancreatitis was diagnosed, it had already caused irreparable damage, he ended up having a stroke and died four days later at Clitheroe Community Hospital.

Born in Rinteln (A British army barracks in Germany), he grew up in Wiltshire and was educated at Radley College. He went onto Bristol to gain a law degree and became a barrister. He gained a second degree in English Literature and in 1995 bravely turned his back on his career to open Roundstone Books on Lowergate, Clitheroe. His partner, Catherine, met Jo a few days after he had opened Roundstone Books, and they spent 20 extremely happily years together.

In 2003, Roundstone Books moved to Moor Lane and changed names to Clitheroe Books as it became an amalgamation of Roundstone Books and Moorside Books run by David Sedgewick. They ran the business together until 2010 when David died.

He was an avid reader and writer of poetry. Organising poetry readings and events in the town, he set up Clitheroe Books Press with Theresa Sanderson to enable local poets to see their writing in print.

Remembering Jo, Theresa said: "Clitheroe Books was a stand-out shop and its proprietor a stand-out man. We edited several poetry collections over the years under the imprint Clitheroe Books Press, where we were proud to discover and publish some of the area’s best emerging poets. But it was Jo’s poems, with their erudite mix of philosophy, politics and playfulness, infused with warmth, wit and his trademark humanity, that always left me feeling: Damn, I wish I’d written that. Jo was not afraid to speak up for others and the causes he believed in, and his bookshop was an enclave of common sense and compassion. He will be sadly missed.”

Jo was instrumental in helping Clitheroe achieve and maintain its Fairtrade status for the past 10 years. A keen gardener for the past 15 years, he grew his own organic fruit and vegetables. A lover of music, once he reached 60 he decided to learn to play the guitar and have singing lessons and he switched his poetry writing to song writing. He loved sport and was an accomplished athlete in his younger years. Two hip replacements in recent years enabled him to take up running again, he discovered Parkrun and was overjoyed to be able to run with Catherine, his daughters and grandchildren, his last big run being the Ribble Valley 10k in December.

Paying tribute, Catherine said: "Jo was a wonderful father to two daughters, Rebecca and Emma, and five grandchildren, Lewis, Imogen, Amelie, Toby and Reuben, he was also a devoted stepfather to my two children Jordan and Jessamy. Jo had so many interests and hobbies. He was passionate about justice and the environment, never one to just sit still or be quiet if his voice could make a difference,he was often asked to speak up at council meetings for those whose voices were not being heard. Obviously, he was also passionate about books and loved reading, hence the shop, but he was looking forward to retirement and was hoping to spend more time gardening, reading, making music with friends Martin and Jeremy and to have time to volunteer with Parkrun, Ribble Rivers Trust and the Foodbank. We love the Castle Park and it is just on our doorstep and for the past year since he now had the flexibility after hip replacements, we had spent half an hour each morning collecting all the litter (before our morning run) to leave it a nicer place for everyone. Jo was the most caring, loving man I have ever met and I am honoured to have spent 20 years together. He had a big heart and struggled with the injustices of the world, supporting causes especially those that supported women and children. He will be deeply missed."