The Community Bulletin Board just received the following message from Sue Cartwright. the partner of long-time, well-know community activist Ryan Kemp.
It is my sad task to announce that Ryan Kemp, my partner of 24 years, died of renal cancer peacefully at home on 3 February 2009.
Ryan had lived in the Caledonian area for over thirty years and was well known as a community activist. For many years he was the Chair of the successful Cally Forum, the last neighbourhood forum to survive in Islington, which sadly had to closed in 2002 when Islington neighbourhood forums were disbanded. Ryan was proud that the Cally Forum was an inclusive organisation and people from both sides of the Caledonian Road participated together to make our area a better place. Although it closed, many of the people involved went on to support other activities and organisations which sprung up in our locality.
Always fighting for improvements in the local community, Ryan strongly believed that residents should have a say in what went on in their area. He was therefore a community representative on many local organisations such as Team Cally, Islington Community Network, Kings Cross Development Forum, Caledonian Ward Safer Neighbourhood Panel and the Friends of Regent’s Canal. He also regularly attended the public meetings of West Area Committee and West Area Planning Committee. In 1996/7 Ryan was instrumental in lobbying for the building and funding of the Killick Street Health Centre and worked with the Kings Cross Partnership for the funding of a community health worker to be employed there. Ryan was a very active participant at meetings, frequently challenging information and often wanting to add relevant points. He often had extensive knowledge of the background to matters at hand which, as many Chairs will know to their cost, he just had to share with everyone. He always tried to attend every meeting and frequently turned up late trying to fit in two in at the same time.
Ryan spent his childhood in Brighton, coming to London for his first degree at UCL, then an MSc at Birkbeck and then spent some time doing part-time teaching at Oxford Poly. He started a PhD in very large databases at UCL in 1978 but unfortunately got sidetracked and never completed it. He worked as a lecturer, then senior lecturer at South Bank University from 1983 until he was made redundant in 2006. There he joined Natfhe, now UCU, and became an active member. Over the years Ryan was Branch Chair, Secretary, member of his branch’s coordinating committee, local negotiator, membership secretary and delegate to Regional Council. He was also, until his illness, Regional Treasurer of Natfhe Inner London and then London Regions.
Always interested in all types of politics, Ryan joined the Labour Party in the eighties and has since been a staunch member including holding the Chair of Caledonian branch for many years.
Ryan was fun to be with; he had a sunny disposition and an upbeat optimistic outlook. He never bore grudges, had an endless curiosity about everything and a boundless enthusiasm for life. He greatly enjoyed attending all types of events, festivals, music gigs, (usually rock bands), exhibitions as well as being interested in history and architecture. As his many albums and thousands of digital photos testify, he was an ardent photographer. He loved to travel and to explore other countries. Until he was prevented from driving due to illness, Ryan could be seen tearing round Islington and beyond in his much loved car. He had very quick reactions and never caused an accident but enjoyed driving fast and I was sure that this would be the end of him.
Ryan was diagnosed in August 2007 and for almost the first year he was able to enjoy his life. Things gradually changed especially of course during the past month but we have had good doctors at the Royal Marsden, excellent support from our GPs at Click Street and a wonderful palliative care team who not only effectively controlled his pain but who really got to know us both and who have been incredibly supportive. I can’t praise them enough.
I would like to thank all our kind friends and neighbours as well as Ryan’s family, especially his brother Fraser, who have been and continue to be so supportive.
Ryan was very special. He was bright, open, affectionate and enduringly positive. It’s hard for me to imagine how life will be without him; certainly it will be a sadder and duller place. I and his brother and family will always miss him terribly but I am comforted in the knowledge that my loss is shared by many others in the Cally area.
Everyone is of course welcome to attend the cremation which will be held at East Finchley crematorium in the next couple of weeks, date to be announced shortly.
Sue Cartwright
Should you wish to make a donation in Ryan's memory, please contact one of the following charities: MacMillan Cancer Support www.macmillan.org.uk or Kidney Cancer UK. www.kcuk.org
Kings Cross Environment 
