We are deeply saddened to share the news of the death of our Vice President, Dr Christopher Mason MBE.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday 9th October at 2pm at The Tall Ship in Glasgow. If you would like to attend, please notify Christopher’s family by emailing drmasonmemorial@gmail.com.

Christopher was a passionate advocate for his constituents during his time as a local councillor in Glasgow from 1982 until 2012, first with Strathclyde Regional Council and then Glasgow City Council. He had a strong sense of justice and fought for the rights of marginalised people, including autistic people and their families for whom he was a tireless champion.

Early in his political career he worked for improvements in services for autistic people and their families across the Strathclyde region, and by the time the Regional Council was scrapped in 1996 the first autism units attached to mainstream primary schools had been established.

He was lead councillor for autism in Glasgow City Council from 2001 until 2012, and in 2001 he was invited to chair a City Council task force on improving the lives of autistic people. He was then appointed to chair the Council’s standing working group on autism, charged with promoting and monitoring improvements across a range of public services. The group brought together staff from the Council, the NHS, three voluntary societies, and people who use services and established sub-groups on the criminal justice system, housing, and employability, all of which were able to secure improvements across services.

Christopher retired in 2012 after 30 years in local government and was appointed Carers’ Champion by Glasgow City Council, which saw him continuing to work alongside autistic people and their family carers. It was at this point that he was also appointed Vice President of the National Autistic Society.

In addition to his unrelenting efforts as a politician, he was a co-founder of the Strathclyde Autistic Society with Jane Hook MBE and the late Bill Hook. He also worked with Jane and Bill to start the Buddies' Club, an after-school group for children with disabilities.

Outside of his work to improve the lives of autistic people and their families, Christopher taught politics at Glasgow University from 1966 until 1994. He was also the founder, former Chairman, and President of the Clyde Maritime Trust which owns The Tall Ship in Glasgow, an independent museum committed to the preservation and interpretation of the Glenlee (a 19th-century Clyde-built sailing ship).

Everyone at the National Autistic Society is deeply saddened by the loss of Christopher, as we remember his tireless work to improve the lives of autistic people and their families in Scotland and across the UK.