Paula Sparks

A Compassionate Warrior

It is heartbreaking to write that Paula Sparks, the longstanding A-LAW Chairperson, recently died from motor neurone disease. My condolences are with her partner, children, family, friends, and every animal advocate who had the honour to work with her and the UK Centre for Animal Law. All the tributes I have read about Paula speak of her warmth, compassion, and dedication to animal rights. This is, indeed, true, as it was also my experience.

Whenever we met, Paula always reminded me of how she had learned about the cruelties of animal research and how this led her to become a vegan, a barrister, and work for animal rights with A-LAW. In the 1980s, when I was the Campaigns Organiser with the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, the BUAV produced an advertising campaign, ‘Every Six Seconds an Animal Dies in a British Laboratory’. This was a groundbreaking initiative as we paid for the ‘Every Six Seconds’ ads to be displayed in London’s Underground tube stations.

Paula proudly told me that standing on the platform one day, looking across the tracks, reading the ‘Every Six Seconds’ ad, prompted an awareness of animal cruelty and a heartfelt pledge to do something about it.

When The British Library acquired the Kim Stallwood Archive in 2020 and hosted a public meeting in honour of this exciting development three years later, it was my opportunity to recognise Paula as the UK’s foremost authority on animal law by inviting her to join me on the panel with curator Jonathan Pledge and scholar Anat Pick from Queen Mary University of London. That night, as she always did, Paula spoke with a heartfelt commitment and deep understanding of animal law.

We have all lost a true friend to the animals and a compassionate warrior for all to be treated with respect.

Read A-LAW’s appreciation here.

Read the Doughty Street Chambers appreciation here.