A HEAD TEACHER made such an impact on his local community that friends and colleagues are compiling a book on his life story.

And organiser Merry Wilson is hoping others who knew Derek Hancock will contribute their own stories about him.

Mr Hancock who died suddenly this summer, aged 72, opened Talbot Combined School in Wallisdown in 1969 where he taught until his retirement 12 years ago.

Music teacher Mrs Wilson from Colehill said: "He was such an extraordinary head. He initiated so many things.

"Before the school opened he called on every home and tried to see every family.

"If you did anything above and beyond you got a letter of thanks.

"He knew every child by name, all their families and their circumstances."

The children came before everything but parents, friends of the school and staff were all part of Talbot.

When one mother came to him newly homeless one morning he found her somewhere to live by 2pm, said Merry.

Children excluded from other schools were taken on and given a chance and others with serious disabilities were accommodated.

"He was a 'yes' person - he would say 'yes' first and then think about the consequences," Mrs Wilson said.

"It's one of the things I try to teach my class and when I say that, I think of Mr Hancock."

Animals were a feature at Talbot - two donkeys arrived on day one, followed by heifers, goats, pigs, ponies and rabbits - they often escaped the school, leading the "long-suffering" caretaker a merry dance.

"It was to teach the children about responsibility and for children who weren't allowed pets at home," she said. Music was another part of school life - the band he started made 12 tours of Cornwall, raising thousands, every penny of which went to charity.

The musicals he wrote - staged at Poole Arts Centre - won rave reviews in the Daily Echo; an excerpt from one was performed in front of HM The Queen.

And then there were the buildings - Mr Hancock led the teams which built the changing rooms, the band room, the playgroup.

And he was thrown fully clothed into the swimming pool by way of celebration the day it opened.

A devoted Salvation Army member, Mr Hancock initiated Christmas dinner with entertainment for the lonely at the school. Up to 140 elderly people were served, a tradition which has since moved to Winton Salvation Army.

He set up a Salvation Army congregation in Verwood and supported Ringwood co-religionists.

During a soup-run one night, Derek "found" the right-sized pair of shoes for a homeless man. It wasn't till the end of the evening colleagues realised he had given away his own shoes and was wearing some from the store that were several sizes too big.

"That was that was just him," said Merry.

Mr Hancock is survived by his widow Betty, three sons and five grandchildren.

* You can contact Merry at 52 Cutlers Place Colehill, Wimborne, BH21 2HU.