Neophitos 'Nof' Ttofias obituary

It is with great sadness that I write about the untimely death of Nof Ttofias, who read Politics between 1985 and 1988. Nof was a leading light in the Labour Club for the 4 years he was at the University. Campaigns he was central to with the club included anti-apartheid, support for the miners and other striking workers locally (like the workers at Keetons), and numerous LGBT issues.

In 1988, Nof was elected Education and Representation Officer and, on completing his degree, worked for the Students’ Union for a year. In this role he led the Union's response to the national NUS ‘Grants not Loans campaign’ (sounds familiar but this was in 1988, when the NUS estimated that government proposals would mean that the average student would be £500 worse off each year!) and, with some of the University's Chinese students, did a lot of work around the Tiananmen Square Chinese Solidarity Campaign, during 1989.

Nof then worked in Sheffield for several years and was active in his local constituency before moving back to London where he completed a PGCE, became deputy head of a junior school and met Dustan, his partner for 17 years. Nof had been battling oesophageal cancer since his diagnosis in 2013 and died on 31 January 2017, in the Royal Marsden Hospital.

A fantastic cook and foodie, Nof introduced his northern university friends to the delights of Greek food including halloumi, bulgur wheat and tea with cinnamon and cloves. He had a tremendous warmth and love of life, combined with an integrity and commitment to social and political equality which was respected even by his political opponents.

Facebook posts since news of Nof's death make reference to the way he inspired his fellow-students to get politically active, to support their Students' Union, to be out and proud and to dance (‘Groove is in the Heart'-style) to Deelite, The Smiths and The Communards in the Raynor Lounge.

Tribute written by Wendy Robson (BA English Literature 1988)