We are so sorry to have to tell you that Dave Barr, our lovely co-organiser for this group, died very unexpectedly on Friday, 27 February 2026. We cannot express just how much we will miss him.

Dave was a long time member of the WordPress Community who was valued as much for his expertise as his genuine love for his fellow man and his wicked and wry sense of humour. He also did wonderful hello and goodbye hugs.

In this group, Dave was the one who encouraged and helped us to keep a sense of proportion. One of his favourite sayings was “Keep it simple”. This was usually when one of us was overthinking things and in danger of disappearing up the proverbial.

He had led a varied and very interesting life. Travelling to, and living in, many parts of the world – Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. On his website, he had calculated that he had been to 38 of the world’s 195 countries. “With plenty left to explore,” as he said. He had a curious mind and was always up for a wide-ranging discussion.

We have a lovely tribute from Jade Sperrin of Atomic Smash:

“I was saddened to hear the news of Dave’s passing. Dave was one of the kindest, sincere and most humble people i’ve ever had the privilege to meet. Even after he moved on from the team at Atomic Smash, myself, Dave, some of the current team and past employees would occasionally meet for hikes.

Dave instantly put people at ease. He always had so many interesting stories to share and often made everyone feel extremely hungry by talking about his latest culinary experiences! He will be greatly missed, I send my condolences to his friends and family.”

And from Piers Tincknell of Atomic Smash:

“We were lucky enough to have the pleasure of working with Dave for a number of years at Atomic Smash, Dave bought vast waves of knowledge to the business, but more importantly he was just one of those genuinely great characters who you could always rely on. He was kind, caring and incredibly thoughtful. We are deeply saddened to loose a friend and we hope his memory can live on through our community and memories.“

From Mo (Dave’s wife)
Mo applauds our continuing with future Meetups. She said:

“Dave would absolutely not want you to cancel the meetups on Tuesday. Dave was so fond of you all and the friends he made in the group and really loved being a co-organiser. The plan is to scatter Dave’s ashes in the sea at Findhorn in Scotland. Being a Celt, this was Dave’s wish. There will be no actual funeral in Bristol.”