My husband, Andrew Crooks, who has died aged 57, was known for his fierce commitment to social justice and equality. Described by colleagues as a “disability warrior” who fought the structures and systems that maintain ableism, Andrew worked in fundraising and campaigning roles in the voluntary sector for nearly 30 years.
Andrew was born in Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, the youngest of six children of Nell, a nurse, and Jim, a toolmaker. At the age of 11, Andrew was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition that also affected his oldest brother, Alex. His parents, determined to make life easier for all those affected and motivated by their Christian conviction, were founding members of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in Lanarkshire.
Loved by his childhood friends for his rebellious antics, Andrew went to Uddingston grammar school, and studied art at Motherwell College and then the Scottish College of Textiles in Galashiels (now part of Heriot Watt University). His first job was as an illustrator and education officer for the Glasgow and West of Scotland Zoological Society. He moved to London in the early 1990s and rooted himself in the voluntary sector, working variously for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Alzheimer’s Society, Contact a Family, SHARE Community, Scope, Help the Aged, Croydon Voluntary and Disability Croydon.
In the early 2000s, Andrew was regularly heard on the news, expounding the social importance of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and setting out the legal obligations on businesses to ensure disabled people are not treated less favourably than others.
He championed Scope’s 2002 Polls Apart campaign which highlighted the number of polling stations inaccessible to wheelchair users, and led its 2004 Free2Pee campaign which criticised public and private buildings for not providing disabled people with access to toilet facilities.
Andrew and I met in 2001 when we worked together at Scope, and our daughter, Lottie, was born in 2004. We married in 2006, and moved in 2009 to Sheffield, with our son, Dylan, joining our family in 2015. Andrew continued to advocate for vulnerable groups, working as an engagement officer for Care Opinion and Disability Sheffield, while designing and delivering disability awareness training.
His drive for justice and equality was synonymous with his identity both as a Celtic fan and a punk from Bothwell. A fan of Scottish football and the Skids, English cricket and the Clash, he believed passionately in the power of sport and music to bring people together. He was so proud of Celtic fans for the support they gave him when he first started using a wheelchair and made the trip to Seville to see his beloved team in the Uefa cup final. And his fellow festival-goers always came to his rescue whenever his wheelchair left him stuck in the mud.
Andrew’s memory, and his record collection, will be forever treasured by Dylan, Lottie and me. He is also survived by his siblings Jim, Nell and Anna. His brothers John and Alex predeceased him.