Cecil Jackson-Cole

Born in November 1901 in London, he grew up to own and manage a furniture dealer store called Andrews Furnishers, with branches in London and Oxford. He also studied Economics as an external student at Balliol College at the University of Oxford. He joined a group of Quakers in 1942 and was concerned about the conditions in Greece so, after a public meeting in the library of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, the ‘Oxford Committee for Famine Relief’ (later known as ‘Oxfam GB’) was born and he became its first secretary.

He headed the growth after the war and the expansion of Oxfam as a global charity, and was fully involved until his death in 1979. He set up various charity trusts including the ‘Voluntary and Christian Service Trust’ which gave rise to other charities, including ‘Help the Aged’ (1961) and ‘Action Aid’ (1972).

The blue plaque at 17 Broad Street is where the first permanent Oxfam shop opened and still operates, and also where the administrative centre was in the early years of the charity.