My former boss Gordon Faddy was a founder member of the charity Enable in Cornwall and a resourceful fundraiser whose feats defied his disability. Born in Newcastle with cerebral palsy, Gordon lived to the age of 63, even though his doctor predicted he would survive only into his 30s.
At the age of 18 his grandmother told him he could either sit at home being cared for, or he could get out into the world and live. He chose the latter and began working for the Newcastle telephone exchange.
His determination to live independently and the ease with which he accepted his disability gained him many friends. One of these friends moved to Cornwall to work in a home for disabled adults, and when in the mid-1970s a paid vacancy came up at the centre for someone to teach photography, he recommended Gordon for the post. Later, funding was withdrawn and Gordon was made redundant, but he had fallen in love with Cornwall and decided to stay.
He moved to Lostwithiel and became a well-known member of the community. Unable to find paid work, he started, with six others, Enable in Cornwall, a charity set up by disabled people to help disabled people in Cornwall find work. I was lucky enough to be employed by the charity.
Gordon was a tireless inspiration to everyone, and he kept Cornwall social services and the county council on their toes when it came to disability issues and rights. He was a great fundraiser who pulled in thousands of pounds for charity. Among his most notable challenges was a sponsored wheelchair ride from Penzance to Exeter, which acquired a police escort because he was holding up the traffic. He also managed to complete two parachute jumps, a hitchhike around Morocco in his wheelchair, and, last year, a descent by zip wire at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Gordon also volunteered for Devon and Cornwall Housing Association and for the police force as an independent custody visitor. He is survived by his partner, Amanda Brokenshire.