Sad loss of much loved volunteer
It is with sadness that we report the death of one of our longest serving volunteers, Tony, who passed away recently at the age of 88.
Tony was one of the first volunteers to be recruited into Circles in Devon back in 2008 when it was still a pilot project delivered by the NSPCC. However, prior to this, Tony had been a great advocate of the project through his involvement with Quakers. After Circles South West was established as a charity in 2010 to deliver Circles of Support and Accountability across seven counties of the south west, Tony remained involved both a trustee and as a circle volunteer and only stopped volunteering in 2020.
Tony was a man of huge integrity, compassion, kindness and fun. He always saw the positives in all the core members he worked with and treated them with such high regard, humanity and dignity and he was unwavering in his belief that everyone can change given the right circumstances. Tony lived a life according to his high Quaker principles, a rare achievement in today’s society. His interest and action in social change and peace went beyond what most people would be prepared to do and he was an active anti-nuclear protestor, an environmentalist and also very involved in the struggles of the Palestine people, travelling as a peace witness each year to the disputed territories in the Middle East in addition to his involvement with CSW.
All of us at Circles South West will miss Tony very much and our thoughts are with his wife and his family.
Rest in peace Tony, your departure is a great loss to the world.
