National Treasurer, 1972-1996

Philip Barbour, also current Treasurer for London Brook:

 “I always thought that the development of effective contraception was one of the most important advances of the 20th Century. I had known of a back-street abortion in 1946 and had suffered embarrassment myself, trying to get contraception in preparation for marriage.

"I believe that contraception should be freely available to all, but there is still much to do to make that true. As Treasurer of Brook I have always been mainly a back-room worker, but my heart is with all the young people helped by Brook and its wonderful staff.”

Vice Chair of Board of Directors and member of Publications Advisory Panel, 1980-1994

Dilys Went:

“I appreciated the pioneering work of Brook, particularly in helping young people with special needs and was impressed with the professional approach and power of shared wisdom of the educators, doctors and Ofsted members involved on the publications advisory panel. Together we developed key criteria for Brook SRE materials for use in schools, such as being honest, accurate, inclusive and trialled with the young people themselves.

"I feel that the work by Brook in providing guidelines and quality resources for schools has given many generations of teachers the confidence to respond appropriately to the ever changing needs of young people, in our increasingly sexualised society. The next forty years will be equally challenging.”

Chair of Trustees

Audrey Court:

“The instant success of the opening of a Brook Centre in Birmingham on September 16th 1966 was almost overwhelming. A campaign against Brook, spearheaded by a local journalist, led to a request for police to be present on the opening morning, but happily everything went smoothly. This success showed clearly the need for a Centre in Birmingham.”

Dilys Cossey, Chair (1995 - 2001):

“Brook has always been close to my heart.  I was present at its birth in 1964 at the Family Planning Association AGM when a decision was taken to set up a separate organisation for the ‘unmarried’, as young people were then known. I was attending in my capacity as Secretary of the Abortion Law Reform Association and was a comparatively young, though married, person. 

"Vivid in my memory was my experience in 1961, when, as a young ‘about to be married’ person, I was referred by my enlightened GP to the local FPA clinic for contraception (diaphragm only in those days).  Because I did not have an engagement ring, the receptionist was very suspicious and insisted on taking down not just my personal details, but those of my intended, as well as the time, date and place of our forthcoming nuptials. Somewhat grudgingly, she allowed me in.

"Subsequently I learned that steps were taken to check that I had actually got married.  I was completely unsurprised by this hostility to an unmarried person being careful about pregnancy. In the last forty years, the climate has changed profoundly, but there is still a long way to go."