It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Nicholas Wall, formerly a patron of NACCC and a passionate supporter of child contact centres has died. Sir Nicholas was President of the Family Division and Patron of NACCC from 2010-2012 and was very much aware of the work of contact centres before that time. He endorsed a new version of the Protocol for referrals of families to Supported Child Contact Centres by Judges and Magistrates in 2010 and was keynote speaker at NACCC’s annual conference in 2007 and 2011.
After a diagnosis of a rare form of dementia Sir Nicholas Wall decided to take his own life in February. His family have made public his decision to die by his own hand as a tribute to a lifetime of creating public discussion around difficult emotional issues. He leaves a legacy of work impacting on children with parents battling through the family courts and was hugely supportive and passionate about the vital role contact centres have in keeping children in touch with separated family members. He will be greatly missed.
