THE news about Terry Pratchett is very sad.

I was fortunate to meet Terry back in the early 80s.

He was press officer for the Central Electrical Generating Board; I was at school at BWS in Salisbury and I won a competition for a guided tour of their Marchwood research labs, so I got to spend a day with him.

The first Discworld book had come out a few months before; at that time writing was still very much a hobby for him.

He was so incredibly proud of the growing success of his book but at the same time was dubious about his long-term future as a writer.

I'll remember him as a cheerful and enthusiastic guy who was very, very generous of spirit.

He will undoubtedly be missed by millions.

Dave Hills

Totton