Gary Francis obituary

Hackney CVS member Gary Francis, who died last month aged 45

Friends, family, colleagues and those supported by Hackney Council for Voluntary Service (Hackney CVS) pioneer Gary Francis packed an East London church to pay tribute to the youth worker, who lost his heroic battle with cancer last month aged 45.

Hugely respected in the community and voluntary sectors, Mr Francis dedicated years of his life to boosting provisions for young people, particularly those from marginalised and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Having grown up in Hackney, he was extremely knowledgeable about this corner of East London and its recent history, but he had also worked on crime reduction in West London and helped organise music events celebrating civic pride.

Kind, personable and extremely down to earth, he made the perfect advocate for the borough’s youth.

After last summer’s riots he established and worked on a monitoring group project that scrutinised why a disproportionate number of young black men were being stopped and searched by the police.

David Blagbrough, director of Inspire, a local charity committed to boosting job opportunities for youngsters, said: “I remember him as a remarkable and gifted man of great intellectual stature but with a gentleness, humanity and sense of humour that seemed to frame both his thinking and his working relationships.

“I admired his deep understanding of the borough and what made it tick and his ability to place events and actions in a wider strategic context without for one moment forgetting the reality of those in need.”
Dean Wallace of youth events management company Hold it Down described him as “my role model”.

Jake Ferguson, chief executive of Hackney CVS, where Mr Francis worked for six years, said he was “irreplaceable”.

He said that in his time at Hackney CVS Mr Fancis had secured nearly £2million for local community organisations for key programmes such as Youth Futures and Inspiring Young Hackney.

Mr Francis also led the Economic Development Network, a key forum for organisations working to create more jobs and tackling worklessness.

Mr Ferguson said: “Always focussed on what mattered to young people, Gary helped hundreds of young people to gain qualifications they may not otherwise have achieved.”

Florence Kroll, assistant director of Young Hackney, said: “I will miss Gary tremendously.

“He was, at all times, there when we were going through challenges, whether it be intellectual differences in opinion or practical obstacles to overcome. Gary was a fantastic source of support, always close by when I got overwhelmed with something and always a wise word to shake off any stress.

“He was forever positive and approached life with courage and a smile, and fought for solutions in the same way that he battled with his cancer – with bravery and dignity, never giving up throughout his illness.”

Hymns were sung at the funeral service at St Peter in Chains Catholic Church in Stroud Green on June 22 and there was a reading from The Book of Wisdom by Father Sean Carroll, who told mourners: “The virtuous man, though he die before his time, will find rest. Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life.”

The service was followed by a burial at Manor Park Cemetery in Forest Gate.

Hackney CVS has established a memorial fund in Mr Francis’s honour. This will help support young entrepreneurs and provide routes into employment.