The Amber Trust is very sorry to note the passing of Gavin Tait. Gavin was the first Chair of the Trustees, a post he held for a number of years.
Gavin followed in his father’s footsteps, the Scottish architect Gordon Tait, until losing his sight in middle age through macular degeneration. Ever positive, Gavin used his personal experience of blindness to set up a consultancy advising on the accessibility of public buildings. His work won prestigious commissions as Kensington Palace.
When Gavin learnt of The Amber Trust in the 1990s, he offered his services as Chair of Trustees without hesitation. His interest in music had been assured through the marriage of his daughter, Lucinda, to Joe Strummer of The Clash. Under Gavin’s stewardship, The Amber Trust was registered as a charity and became incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.
Gavin successfully led a collaboration with the RNIB to set up the Soundscape Centre in Redhill, an innovative educational provision for blind adults with learning difficulties to pursue their interest in music.
Gavin was always kind, gentle, thoughtful and generous. Despite losing his sight and his health failing him in later years, Gavin never expressed any self-concern, and always added his warmth, humanity and humour to any meeting or social gathering. He was much loved, and will be sorely missed by us all at Amber.