It is with great sadness that the Octocon committee has learned of the death this morning of one of our members, Martin Hoare, in hospital in his hometown of Reading, England.
Martin provided technical equipment and expertise to Octocon for several years, as well as to many other conventions throughout the UK and the rest of Europe, travelling in his red van and accompanied by his stuffed panda Doris. One of his most recent convention gigs allowed him to indulge another of his great passions – real ale – as organiser of the fan bar at Eastercon 2019 in England.
He was given the Doc Weir award in 2015 for being an unsung hero of fandom, and was well-known for his kindness and his sometimes sideways problem-solving.
He will be missed by a great many people and Octocon wishes to express our deepest sympathies to his nearest and dearest.
Thank you for everything, Martin.
![Martin Hoare at Shamrokon, August 2019, holding a pint of Portherhouse stout. Picture courtesy of Paul Sheridan.](https://2019.octocon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/07/martin.jpg)