Derek Pickup
About Derek
Derek was born 23 April 1954 in Bristol, the eldest of three children. His parents, Douglas and Margaret Pickup had three children. Derek’s siblings are Christine and Angela.
After A-levels, Derek went to university in Middlesex, but after two years gave up. He later on went to Bristol Polytechnic (now known as the University of the West of England and obtained a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.
When he was 18 years he made his first trip abroad. He went to a Kibbutz in Israel, encouraged by one of his teachers in secondary school. That trip ultimately changed his life, as it was during a visit to Israel in 1980 that he met Esther, who is his wife and lived in the Netherlands.
Derek visited the kibbutz many years in a row and made many friends there. Sadly he has not returned to Israel since 1980 and the current political situation might prevent a further trip for some time to come.
Derek Pickup
family
Visiting Israel in 1980 changed Derek’s life forever, for it was here, whilst spending three weeks doing a summer course at the Hebrew University, he met Esther. Whilst Esther was studying seriously, Derek was there more for leisure. However, they got on and when Derek left Israel at the beginning of August, part of the way through Esther’s studies, he invited her to join him over the New Year’s period in London. But, he could clearly not wait that long, and as soon as Esther was back in the Netherlands he wrote to her every day and sent her the money to come and visit him in London. The rest is history. Together for 44 years and married for 41 years, Derek and Esther have two children, a daughter called Rivka (40) and a son called David (37) and 4 grandchildren – Jozef (17), Sofie (8). Oscar (10) and Arthur (8)
Derek Pickup
friends
Derek is, to be fair, a bit like marmite. You either love him or ………
Over the years on his travels, he has made many friends. His generosity with time, effort and financial support knows no end. Once Derek has committed to something he makes 100+% effort to get things done and he will stand by friends even if it’s the last thing he would ever do.
Visiting Tbilisi since 1996 has brought him and Esther many connections, which have grown into true friendships. The number of people attending his birthday celebrations in England
and later on in Tbilisi are testament to his dedications to those he calls his friends.
Derek Pickup
projects
Derek has committed his whole life to improve the lives of others in all the work he still does and has done. He has spent a lifetime career in youth and community related work and for 9 years was an elected councilor for Bristol City Council.
Whilst working as an officer in Bristol City Council, he was given the task to re-start the
twinning link between Bristol and Tbilisi.
Some of the projects undertaken by the Bristol Tbilisi Association include
1. Educational and Research Projects: In the 1990s, the British Government awarded funds for the two cities to conduct environmental projects involving specialist officers from each city council to exchange and observe different methods of operation in environmental protection and waste management. Further funding was gained for similar projects over the following two years from EU TACIS City Twinning programme. In 2008 the EU TEMPUS funding was awarded to Bioscientists and Biomedical scientists in the universities of the West of England, Bristol and Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, to foster curriculum development through exchanges and workshops over two years.
2. Charitable activities: BTA co-ordinated a Charity Know How project with Gaia; an organisation concerned with environmental and human rights education in 1998. The
association has also facilitated further successful projects by joint funding with a Rotary club in Greater Bristol: a seventeen year-old Tbilisi girl was successfully cured of Myasthenia Gravis, equipment from the old Bristol Children’s hospital was transported to the Jo Ann McGowan Children’s Hospital in Tbilisi; a truck and container donated by Severnside Waste was taken over by drivers from Crown Coaches. Simon Munden, owner of this Bristol company also donated an ambulance for this hospital.
3. Further BTA projects have involved sending specialist equipment to the Tbilisi School for the Deaf and a refuse truck filled with children's hospital equipment.
Funds have also been raised by appeals, Georgian wine events in 2002 and 2004, and generous donations by
students of Filton High School. Six refuse trucks have been sent to the Department of Environment, Tbilisi Municipal Council.
4. Arts and Culture: Artists in Bristol have had close links with Tbilisi since 1992, when the show “Heat and Conduct”, the first exhibition of contemporary Georgian artists, was held in Arnolfini, the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Bristol. The 2008 year Festival of cinema and video art from Georgia in Arnolfini and Cube Microplex Cinemas was a part of 20 years twinning between Bristol and Tbilisi celebration program. The Bristol Tbilisi Association completed a successful partnership with the Paradjanov Festival 2010, the Arnolfini and the Bristol Art Gallery bringing the works of the great film director Sergei Paradjanov to the people of Bristol.
Complementing these the Bristol Art Gallery showed photographs of Paradjanov taken by his friend, the photographer Yuri Mechitov in the exhibition
“Paradjanov through the lens of Yuri Mechitov”. In 2012 Bristol Museum & Art Gallery hosted an exhibition “21 paintings by seven Georgian Artists”. In 2016 and 2017 Georgian street artist Dr. Love took part in the Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival, Upfest,
in Bristol, with a big success.
Over recent years the BTA has spent time raising awareness about the twinning link by organising cost-price (not commercial process) visits to Tbilisi for members of the BTA and whoever wants to find our more about this beautiful city and country.
Derek Pickup
why do we love
Derek?
Well, it needs a little time
to write everything.
will be uploaded very soon
Derek Pickup
memorable moments
derekpickup.com team