Rowdy (Paul) Yates

We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Rowdy (Paul) Yates on 14th February.

Originally from Macclesfield, Rowdy rose to become Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Stirling, Scotland. 

He had worked professionally in the field of drugs addiction since 1971, when he was a founder member of a self-help support community for ex-addicts.

Strongly influenced by the early therapeutic community movement, prior to his university work, he was the director and co-founder of the Lifeline Project; an organisation he helped to establish in the early 1970s as a recovering heroin addict.

He had been widely published on addiction issues and in 1994 was awarded the MBE for services to the prevention of drug addiction.

At the time of his death he was Executive Director of EWODOR (the European Working Group on Drugs Oriented Research) and Honorary Vice President of the EFTC (European Federation of Therapeutic Communities).

Rowdy’s family have asked us to express their gratitude for the many expressions of sympathy and tributes they’ve received.

Details of Rowdy’s funeral arrangements will be added to the item in the ilovemacc Deaths column when finalised.

The following personal tribute was written by Steve Leigh.

Memories of Rowdy

by Steve Leigh

I first met Paul Yates as pupils together at the King’s School, Macclesfield in the 1960s.

I guess he was given the nickname “Rowdy” after the character Rowdy Yates, played by Clint Eastwood, in the TV Cowboy Series ‘Rawhide.’

He was always known as Rowdy even after school days were long over and it came as a shock when anybody used his ‘real’ name.

We gravitated together as we were both studying art, we both played guitar and both enjoyed the same sort of music. There was a small gang of us in the art room including Andy Taylor and Bill Parker. We all had the same mutual interests and the same outlook on life. Growing our hair long was one of them. We used to hang around with each other outside school.

Me and Rowdy would meet up at each others houses and play tunes and write songs.

In 1968, the four of us Rowdy, Andy, Bill and myself, hitch-hiked to the Isle Of Arran for a glorious two week holiday (my first ever on my own and without parents). I was 16 and the others were a year older. The Ormidale pub there had a magnificent glass conservatory attached to it which attracted hundreds of like-minded people playing guitars and singing songs. This was to be the start of a lifelong love for the island for Rowdy and as it goes, me too. 

We would spend the next few summers there and one year I went to visit Rowdy who had moved to Brodick, the main town on the island, where he was renting a tiny cottage. I visited over Christmas and the New Year. Jesus it was cold! There was no heating other than a paltry coal fire in the living room and certainly none in the bedrooms. I wore all my clothes in bed and had all my coats on top of the bed too! But we played guitars, wrote songs, talked a lot and went drinking in the pubs. Happy days.

Back in Macclesfield, there were a quite a surprising number of outlets in and around our small town for playing and seeing other guitarists and musicians. To name some; The Spinners Arms in Bollington, The Angel Folk Club, The Bate Hall Folk Club and best of all the Castle Pub, where the back room on a Friday night would be heaving with people playing and singing anything from 12-bar blues to Leonard Cohen covers, Incredible String Band numbers to Donovan songs, tradtional folk songs to self-penned songs etc.etc. Many a good night was had in there. I first sneaked in there when I was 15. And of course, Rowdy was a fixture there too.

After a few years, he started working for the Lifeline Project, in Manchester, a drug rehab organisation. I used to visit him at his home in Didsbury, but soon after this, I got a job in London and our paths went in different directions.

Fast forward nearly 50 years and I got in touch with him via Facebook, as I had found some old photos I had taken of him in our schooldays and sent them to him. 

They accompany these words.

When I heard there was to be a Castle reunion a few weeks ago, to which Rowdy was to attend, I was looking forward to seeing him again after all the years. He became ill as he was preparing to travel to the gig and It was a cruel twist of fate that prevented him from coming.

I will never forget the early days and the part Rowdy played in my life.

Rest easy Rowdy my old friend.

May I offer you a parting glass….

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A tribute to Rowdy: https://eftc.ngo/rowdy-yates/

An interview with Rowdy: https://www.dianova.org/news/interview-with-rowdy-yates/

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His funeral service will take place at 2 pm on Friday March 4th at Perth Crematorium, 165 Crieff Rd Perth PH1 2PE.

This will be followed by a chance to chat and a chance to catch up at The Hunting Tower Hotel, Perth.

Then in the evening people can go onto the Twa Tams Pub (also in Perth) for drinks and live music. All are welcome.

Then Leonardo Boutique Huntingtower Crieff Rd Huntingtower Perth PH1 3JT jurysinns.com.

Then The Twa Tams 79-81 Scott St Perth PH2 8JR.

Please could you let Calum know if you will be coming so he can gauge numbers by replying/ commenting on Rowdy’s FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/rowdy.yates.3538/posts/10168769943940354?from_close_friend=1&notif_id=1645269143995059&notif_t=close_friend_activity&ref=notif

Please Include number of guests and which if all or which of the bits you expect to be at.

Rowdy’s family would love to see and meet all those who can make it.

There will also be a live stream for those who can’t make it – we won’t have the link until the day before – when details will be posted on Rowdy’s FB page and this post

Any questions or concerns please email Calumyates@yahoo.co.uk