My sister, Christa Paxton, who has died aged 76, was a leading figure in the voluntary sector from the mid-1980s. Her extraordinary energy, organisational skills and kindness endeared her to all.
Christa was appointed head of fundraising at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in 1986 and a few years later she was appointed chief executive of the British Lung Foundation. She also held numerous trusteeships, notably with the Asthma Campaign and Target Tuberculosis.
In 1995 she created her own consultancy, providing strategic advice to clients ranging from schools to the Maudsley hospital in south London and the Ryder-Cheshire Foundation. Perhaps her greatest achievement lay in the advice and direction she offered to TPO Cambodia, which enabled the NGO to secure European Union funding in support of the thousands still suffering from the effects of the Pol Pot era. She first visited Cambodia in 2002 as a VSO volunteer and returned regularly over the following 15 years.
Christa was born in west London to Peta (nee Button), a lecturer in oriental studies, and Jaye Chatband, a civil servant and restaurateur, and attended the progressive Hallfield primary school in Paddington, then Colchester high school for girls. She was brought up in a lively, diverse household: some childhood friends were part of the Windrush generation, others were temporarily fostered by her parents. All remained lifelong friends.
In 1964, when Christa was 17, her mother was killed in a road accident. The pressure of dealing with her own grief and her father’s degenerative glaucoma meant that her anticipated progression to university ceased to be an option.
Instead she joined BOAC as a flight attendant in 1968, marrying later the following year. The marriage ended in the 1970s (though Christa kept her married surname), and, having to reconstruct her life, she found work in the North Sea oil industry. In 1976 she and two colleagues at Burmah Oil set up a marine engineering company, Seaplace, which provided her with a wealth of organisational experience before she was able to move into the voluntary sector in 1986.
In 1994 Christa met Peter Evans, who shared her beliefs and humanist values. They worked as volunteers with VSO, and were supportive of each other’s contributions. They found great pleasure travelling the world exploring ancient civilisations in places such as Sri Lanka, Mexico and Easter Island. Christa and Peter married last year.
Christa was a voracious reader and a consummate writer of letters. She enjoyed her membership of the British Library and British Museum. She attended Latin classes and applied her knowledge as a volunteer in the archive section of the Hammersmith and Fulham library. She was full of vitality and generous in spirit.
She is survived by Peter, her nieces, Alice and Helen, and me.
