Lady Tumim was a strong advocate for the whole voluntary sector, with a particular interest in deaf issues. Two of her three daughters were born deaf and she had great insight into the barriers and stigma that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can face from childhood to adulthood.

She was Chair of the charity RNID from 1985 to 1992 and remained closely involved with the organisation’s growth as Vice President for the last 17 years. Lady Tumim was the widow of Judge Stephen Tumim and shared his compassion for the human rights of prisoners, especially those serving a double sentence because of their deafness.

Chair of RNID, Gerald Corbett, said:

“All of us at RNID were shocked and saddened to hear about the unexpected death of Lady Tumim. She will be hugely missed by all of us who have benefited from her wise counsel and active urging to strive harder to ensure that those with hearing loss or deafness had the best possible opportunities in life. Our thoughts go out to everyone who was close to her. We have lost a real champion for the cause of deaf and hard of hearing people and the entire voluntary sector.”

Lady Tumim was Chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations for six years.  She chaired the NCVO/Charity Commission working group that published the On Trust Report, sparking many initiatives for improving the governance of charities. At the NCVO she also chaired the working party on Charity Law that led to the Charities Act. She also chaired the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group and the Foyer Federation. She was a member and adjudicator of the General Medical Council for ten years.