19/06/2026
Very sad to hear about John's death - he helped Radiator a lot and helped set us up, originally an offshoot of Same Sky. A brilliant and very nice person.
We are so very sad to share that our beloved John Varah died suddenly and unexpectedly last week.
Our thoughts are with his wife Hazel and his family, who shared this remarkable man with us for so many years.
John was the heart and soul of Same Sky for 34 years - joining as a freelance artist in 1991, then leading us as artistic director for 24 years. He led over 700 events, from lighting the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony to Brighton’s Children’s Parade and Burning the Clocks. He was one of the kindest, most thoughtful people you could hope to meet, and his impact on this city has been immense.
We’d love to receive your stories and memories of John, to collate into a book in his memory. Please send your letters to [email protected] 💌
The family requests that, instead of flowers a donation is made to The Hummingbird Project, in Johns memory.
https://chuffed.org/project/179436-stand-in-solidarity-with-the-hummingbird-refugee-project?fbclid=IwdGRleASxrdhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEewg0xgmjsCoRXzG487PrU0-DkQxkDV9j2Z39gQvlkck0ctH4F8pUsJUHtlBw_aem_npIbh40X-jodBL5R7lHWyg&utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1den5etar8mjo
Thank you, John. Take care of each other.
With love from Same Sky 🤍
