Christine Jackson, the Chair of the Civil Liberties Trust and my dear friend, passed away peacefully on Friday, 11th October, after battling cancer for many years. She was 71.
She first began her association with the National Council for Civil Liberties – today known as Liberty – as an enthusiastic volunteer back in the 1960s. That link continued throughout her adult life, and she has done us proud as a Board member and Chair of the Civil Liberties Trust, which gives vital support to our charitable work.
Indeed it was Christine who was behind our move to Liberty House. She wanted a better working environment for her young colleagues and a more fitting home for this country’s leading national human rights NGO. When we relocated to our current home in Westminster in the summer of 2011 she was the obvious person to open the building. A plaque on the wall marks the moment which could never have been achieved without her.
But undoubtedly one of the most important and memorable things about Christine was the value she placed on those closest to her. She possessed a unique capacity for friendship, and for bringing people together.
Christine will live long in our memories, then, not only as an inspirational Chair and courageous campaigner but as a wonderful friend and mentor to so very many people. She was a rare breed, and leaves a void both at the Trust and in all our lives that we will struggle to fill.
