Paul Baldwin: A personal tribute from Caroline Collier
Being a founder of Inclusion Barnet was one of Paul Baldwin’s many achievements in life but the positive impact of his ethos has spread even wider. Paul set the culture in the first ten years of Inclusion Barnet, and it’s thanks to him that kindness pervades throughout our work, whether it’s with customers or colleagues.
Here Inclusion Barnet’s CEO, Caroline Collier, pays tribute to him.
It is always hard to distil a life into a few words of remembrance, and particularly so when remembering an exceptional man such as Paul. Despite experiencing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease from his late 20s, he managed to achieve much, and I want to try and express something of his incredible legacy.
It would have been easy for Paul to have been resentful. He showed early promise as an artist, but the Parkinson’s stopped him painting – just, as he said ruefully, as he was finding his style. The tremors he experienced led people to wrongly assume he was drunk, leading to him being followed around supermarkets by store detectives.
No one could have blamed him if he had been angry. But Paul had a philosophical approach to life and an acceptance of even the most challenging situations. He also had a keen sense of humour, and dealt with setbacks with incredible grace.
“(Paul), like many of us in the disability rights movement, understood that his lived experience had opened doors for him, just as it closed others.”
Indeed, he, like many of us in the disability rights movement, understood that his lived experience had opened doors for him, just as it closed others. At the council, his intellect and ability were recognised, and he became the key figure in the work to establish a user led organisation in Barnet.
He was recognised as a local leader by senior figures such as Kate Kennally, then the local director of adults, who wrote to me last week that “I remember Paul so fondly and with tremendous respect. He was a passionate advocate for the inclusion of disabled people in Barnet, and he has left a positive legacy which will benefit many thousands of disabled people. I know his contribution will be missed.”
At Inclusion Barnet we will remember Paul as our founder. Through his work, over the years, hundreds of disabled people have had an opportunity to work within a supportive environment, and thousands more have been offered user groups, peer support, benefits advice and a range of other services. Sometimes, that work makes a pivotal intervention to change someone’s life for the better, and it all stems from Paul’s original vision.
“He was a passionate advocate for the inclusion of disabled people in Barnet, and he has left a positive legacy which will benefit many thousands.” – Kate Kennally
However, I think the key thing to capture here is that Paul created the organisation’s culture, something that I have discovered is immediately recognisable even to staff that never met him.
When I posted that we had lost our founder, but that he had left us a legacy of working in a kind, supportive way, with a freedom to experiment, I was amazed at the dozens of appreciative comments from staff. “I’m proud to be part of an organisation that can continue Paul’s amazing legacy,” said one. Another said, “In the short time I’ve been part of IB, the culture that you describe as part of Paul’s legacy has been clear from the start and felt very welcoming and supportive, he sounds like a truly wonderful person.” I was touched that it was so real to people.
“Paul created the organisation’s culture, something that I have discovered is immediately recognisable even to staff that never met him.”
I learnt so much from Paul’s wisdom, and so now do a new generation who will never meet him. He was an unassuming, modest man, but the good he did for others will extend far beyond his lifetime.