Our movement is powered by people. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to two formidable people this year whose activism, commitment and enduring support made a profound contribution to the fight for debt justice: David Golding and Ruth Tetlow, who both passed away this year.
David Golding had a long and deeply personal relationship with Debt Justice. Inspired by his Christian faith, David was a prominent activist in the Jubilee 2000 campaign, and went on to play a significant role in founding our organisation. He recognised that, after the campaign in the 1990s, the work to challenge unjust debt needed to continue.
David served on the board of trustees for 20 years. Throughout that time, he remained a passionate grassroots activist and met monthly with other activists to organise debt campaigns. He was also a brilliant fundraiser and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds through recruiting and organising runners to take part in the Great North Run for 15 years.
David always knew that the campaign for debt justice was a campaign for the long haul. A campaign for which he hoped to “still be kicking up a rumpus” after he was gone. It’s with this in mind that his wish was for people to honour his memory by donating to Debt Justice.
Ruth Tetlow was a lifelong activist for social justice and a prominent, committed member of the Debt Justice Birmingham group where she became the group secretary.
The Birmingham group has played a significant role in the UK debt movement including organising the human chain around Birmingham that brought the city to a halt during the 1998 G8 meeting and propelled debt to the top of the global agenda.
Ruth also served alongside David as a trustee and oversaw big changes as the organisation expanded its scope to campaign on UK household debt, alongside its global focus.
Her commitment to community cohesion, justice and the environment was symbolised by her arranging the planting of a Ginkgo tree in Birmingham’s City Centre Gardens in 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of the human chain.
People make a movement and we are deeply grateful for the lives of these two incredible campaigners. David and Ruth dedicated decades of their lives to win debt justice. We honour their memory by continuing to campaign with the same tenacity, grit and dogged determination they showed, never losing hope that change can happen when we come together to build solidarity and collective power.