After 385 blog posts, this is by far the hardest one to write. Yesterday, I received the devastating news, that long-time friend Russell Bates had passed away. His passion for LEGO and skills using it for story-telling has been a strong inspiration for me and I trust to say that Blockwarts would not have existed without this influence.
While the running of the blog has been my own venture, displaying LEGO Harry Potter has generally been a collaborative effort between me and Russell. Having previously been doing Harry Potter themed displays at LEGO Expos back around 2013 and 2014, I wanted to go big with a Hogwarts display in 2018 and quickly realised that what I wanted was way beyond what was practical for a single person to build.
So I needed to partner with a highly skilled builder, with a huge amount of bricks, and with a passion for both LEGO and Harry Potter. Russell was the perfect match, and together we built a display covering 96 baseplates and using around 100,000 bricks in the process.
We have displayed this setup many times since – always together, though I eventually bought his half of the display, as health issues forced him to downsize his collection.
In addition to his LEGO skills, Russell was a fantastic person who could tell as story like no other and bring a smile to kids and adults alike. I’m sure many who has seen our display will remember the engagement with him better than the display itself.
I’m so thankful that I got to know him, for our friendship, for what we built together, and for our long discussions about LEGO and life in general. He’ll be hugely missed – but leaves many great memories that I’ll treasure.
REST IN PEACE
Blockwarts - A LEGO Harry Potter fan site 
Thank you for the great story. I’m sorry your and his family’s loss. You will both be in my prayers 💔
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Thanks Mary, much appreciated
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