Celebrating Brian Hall, Former CBM UK Chair of Trustees

Brian Hall served as Chair of Trustees from 1997 to 2014, playing a hugely influential role in establishing CBM UK. It is with great sadness that we announce his death in July this year.

Brian Hall lived and worked locally to Cambridge from 1969, and was committed to serving God in all areas of his life. His career as a solicitor enabled him to bring legal expertise to many charities through numerous voluntary roles, including with St John Ambulance, Bedfordshire shrievalty and his Rotary Club. Brian’s involvement with CBM began many years ago, when he helped to set the organisation up as a separate UK charity, as a member of the broader CBM International Federation. He not only served as Chair of the Board of Trustees for CBM UK for the first seventeen years, but also sat on the International Board of CBM which involved meetings in Germany several times a year. He was known for his wise and thoughtful words, delivered in a quiet and measured way.

Alongside Dr Bill McAllister, who was Director of CBM UK at the time, Brian visited CBM projects in Africa, India and Papua New Guinea. Later, Brian remarked that these were life-changing journeys as he saw first-hand the difficulties that people with disabilities face in the poorest parts of our world.

Dr McAllister fondly remembers his travels with Brian: “Brian Hall was polite, articulate and professional and could take anything you threw at him. He was a pleasure to travel with and an honour to know.”

Brian was chairing the Board of Trustees when Kirsty Smith was appointed as CEO in 2012.

Kirsty says: “Brian offered me a warm and hospitable welcome to CBM when I started as CEO. He was hugely driven by the cause and committed to CBM’s success, particularly after his travel to field projects. I will always remember how motivated he was in serving others, whether in his family, his church, his professional life or his local community.”

In all he undertook, Brian was known for working professionally and diligently, motivated by his love for others and his gratitude and love for Jesus, his Saviour. Brian died in July this year following a period of ill-health. His funeral was held earlier in August, with a retiring collection in aid of two of Brian’s great passions, CBM UK and The MacMillan Woodlands Centre, Huntingdon.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Brian’s family and friends as they mourn his loss. If anyone has memories of Brian which they’d like to share, contact us at prayers@cbmuk.org.uk and we will pass them on to his family.