Remembering Belinda Pyke: Tributes to a remarkable and much-loved human rights activist who has left an indelible mark on Leamington and beyond

Belinda Pyke suffered a brain haemorrhage, caused by an aneurysm, during a Justice For Palestinians (JfP) - Leamington Spa meeting. Sadly she did not recover and her brother and nephews were with her in hospital when she died on March 31.

Since then, tributes have been pouring in for Belinda, who was active in many different groups across the Warwick district.

She was a co-coordinator of JfP Leamington Spa and was involved for many years with the Mid-Warwickshire Amnesty Group, the Warwick District United Nations Association and Action 21, following a successful career in Brussels where she chaired Brussels Labour for more than ten years and became a Director in the European Commission.

All of those groups have paid their own personal tributes to Belinda, which we have published below.

Belinda's life

She is survived by her brother and two nephews to whom she was very close and various University of Warwick friends who also lived locally.

Belinda was born in Heswall on the Wirral in 1952. Her father, Jim, was a bookmaker and her mother, Audrey, worked as a French teacher.

She was a member of a large and loving family with Irish roots, with many cousins mainly in America. She had two older brothers, Geoff (who died in 2017) and Bill, married to Mary, and parents of two much-loved nephews Timothy and Christopher. Belinda went to Upton House Convent on the Wirral.

In 1970, she began studies at Sussex University's School of African and Asian Studies and then began an MPhil at Warwick University on Chinese indentured labour in South Africa in 1974.

She decided not to complete this but instead accepted a post at the British Council in Edinburgh in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, she went to the M&NOA (Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association - later NUMAST) as a research officer.

Belinda moved to Leamington in 2017 after an illustrious career in Brussels where her final role was Director in the European Commission.

Belinda had a great passion for human rights issues and justice, especially her concern for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. To raise awareness, Belinda was motivated, with the help of many others, to hold regular vigils outside Leamington Town Hall on a Saturday - which then led to the formation of a Leamington group for JfP.

JfP was by no means her only voluntary role. She was very active in Mid-Warwickshire Amnesty International and the local United Nations Association and also played a key role in Action 21 as Chair of Trustees and sometime manager of the Court Street recycling shop. She was an active Labour Party member for most of her adult life.

Tribute from Justice for Palestinians - Leamington Spa, by Andy Smith (co-coordinator at JfP)

Leamington’s voluntary sector is just beginning to realise what a huge hole the untimely death of Belinda Pyke has left for many local organisations.

As Belinda’s Co-Coordinator for the local Justice for Palestinians group over the last six or seven years, I worked very closely with her. She was indefatigable and incredibly well-informed and politically savvy and her knowledge, insights and commitment really drove the transformation of our group into a much more effective body over that time. In the early 2020s, she spent several months based in East Jerusalem as an Ecumenical Accompanier for the World Council of Churches - essentially a human rights monitor and witness helping Palestinians go about their everyday lives and providing a degree of safety as an international presence.

On her return she instigated our initially monthly vigils outside Leamington Town Hall - inspired by the Women in Black anti-war movement who held silent vigils in Jerusalem from 1998.

With forensic attention to detail she pursued the issue of where Warwickshire local authorities invest their pension funds, challenging them to divest from Israeli banks and other organisations implicated in illegal settlements and support for the Occupation.

She created our newsletter and Facebook page and always did the bulk of the work researching and drafting the copy - although with characteristic modesty, she always credited me first, even though I was really just a proofreader and sub-editor.

She built a respectful relationship with the police and our local MP Matt Western and was adept at marshalling our ever-increasing number of supporters into various useful roles.

Tribute from the Warwick District United Nations Association

Belinda was a great inspiration and full of wisdom on international relations having worked at the European Commission in Brussels for many years.

Having been involved with the local UN Association for over ten years and served on the committee for several years, she brought her wealth of knowledge and experience on issues and matters relating to the United Nations.

Belinda had a great passion for human rights issues and justice, especially her concern for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Belinda's passion and concern were for human rights everywhere.

Her passing is a profound loss to us all. It is impossible to sum up Belinda’s contributions and spirit in words. She was a true internationalist, unwavering in her belief in multilateralism and a better world. We will miss her deeply.

Tribute from the Brussels Labour Group

Belinda wore so many hats, and most of us who knew her in Brussels knew only some of them.

Being from Merseyside, it wasn't surprising that she worked for a maritime transport trade union. She brought her commitment to improving people's lives with her when she came to Brussels to serve in the Cabinets of Commissioner Bruce Millan on Regional Policy, and Neil Kinnock on Transport. Belinda then moved into the Commission services where she eventually became the Director for Migration and Mobility at the European Commission in DG Home. The issues she dealt with there never left her and informed the campaigning she did for the rest of her life.

Belinda never stopped caring and campaigning. She was engaged in the Labour Party throughout, was Chair of Brussels Labour for over ten years and played a strong role in the lobby for us to regain overseas voting rights. After retirement she stood and campaigned in council elections in Warwickshire, doing the hard graft of canvassing and leafleting.

She fundraised for voluntary organisations, not least through long-distance sponsored bike rides including for LEPRA. Her concern about refugees and about the injustices faced by Palestinians never waned.

A great example to the rest of us, Belinda never gave up, and always put the needs of others before her own. We, her Brussels friends, former colleagues and Labour comrades owe her a great debt for her service - along with so many who never met her but whose plight she highlighted again and again. Of course, there is much more to be said, but for now...thank you, Belinda!

Tribute by Mid Warwickshire Amnesty

Belinda was a deeply valued and committed member of the Mid-Warwickshire group of Amnesty International for many years. She worked tirelessly in a voluntary capacity, both in her local community and internationally, demonstrating extraordinary dedication to the promotion of human rights.

Only after her passing did many of us come to realise how modest she had been about her own life and achievements. The more we have learned about her experiences, the greater our respect and admiration for her has grown. Belinda was a stalwart presence within our group. In meetings, she brought a thoughtful and well-informed voice, shaped by both her professional background and her lived experience, including her time volunteering as an ecumenical observer in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Despite her many commitments, Belinda was a regular and reliable attendee at meetings and was always willing to support special events, often contributing her time and energy to several local organisations. She lived her values with quiet determination, integrity and compassion.

We are deeply shocked and saddened by her death and will miss her greatly. The world has lost a principled, passionate and generous woman who remained true to her beliefs throughout her life.

Tribute from Action 21

Belinda took on the responsibility of Chair of the Trustees at the same time as she was herself volunteering at the Court Street recycling shop. Her energy and determination were most valuable, when sadly the general manager, Martin Smith, died quite suddenly.

Belinda made sure we had several applicants to choose from and that we were able to make the critical and urgent decision of appointing a person able to take the business forward. Belinda's firm, principled leadership meant Action 21 was in safe hands whatever crisis the organisation faced.

Tribute from Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington

I was lucky enough to know Belinda for several years and knew her to be a formidable campaigner and someone you wanted on your team. As you will read from the many tributes to Belinda, her commitment - in terms of the time and effort she gave - to the causes she supported was phenomenal.

Belinda was a stalwart in two of my general election campaigns and in the campaigns of so many other local colleagues. She was a tireless campaigner. When looking back on photos from years of elections, Belinda was a constant presence.

Over the years that I was lucky enough to know and spend time with Belinda, I always valued her candid, reasoned advice and views. She would not shy away from raising concerns or disagreements but did it respectfully and with great clarity.

From her years in Brussels working at the European Commission and then more recently in volunteering her time to the many causes for which she cared so deeply, her impact is undeniable. She will be deeply missed by so many. I know I will miss her terribly.