We are saddened to hear of the loss of Peter Holden. In Peter, Manchester has lost one of its finest creatives, and one of the warmest, most generous men we had the pleasure of meeting.
We can count the number of times we met him on our collective hands, however he made a huge impression on us. The first time we wondered into the offices at Holdens’ we were greeted with open arms by Peter, wearing a smile that beamed through his brilliant beard! He showed us through to the meeting room and brought us the finest freshly brewed coffee.
We thought this might just be a first time meeting thing, bring out the big beard for the new clients. But no. Everytime we visited Holdens’, Peter would pop in to see us, bringing coffee, tea and on one occasion, toasted teacakes. He was a fascinating man and our meetings with Megan, Dan and Tim always lasted a little longer as we asked him about many of his beautiful books or trinkets on the office shelves and he’d regale us with tales from his many interests, travels and adventures.
He was a fascinating man, with an infectious energy and kind soul. He was a true original, and his passion for design, photography, art, people, places and life was a wonderful thing to behold. As we built Art with Heart’s brand from within his office walls, drinking his coffee and feeling warm from his hugs, we admired what he had built; a brilliant, cutting edge company with huge heart and real, old school family values. Yes, Holdens’ is by nature a family firm, but that seemed to spread further than Pete’s sons, to the whole team and to us, the ‘clients’.
Peter had clearly planted a culture of care and compassion, of support and love at Holden’s and its grown. It will continue to grow, but its roots will always lead back to him.
We are so thankful to have spent time with him.
Rachel and Sarah xxx
