Sector leaders turned out in their hundreds yesterday to pay their respects to renowned charity lawyer Stephen Lloyd, who was tragically killed in a boating accident last summer.

At a memorial service at St Martin in the Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square, members of Stephen’s family gathered along with colleagues and charity sector figures to mark the extraordinary life and career of the man who dreamed up the Community Interest Company and was one of the main driving forces behind the concept of social investment.

Tributes were read by, among others, family friend Sir Nicholas Young, Stephen’s eldest son Toby Lloyd, colleague Philip Kirkpatrick, the City of London’s Sir Roger Gifford, the Eden Project’s Tim Smit and environmentalist Jonathon Porritt.

Young commented on Stephen’s “boyish enthusiasm and zest for anything around him”.

“He had so much to give and gave it with boundless optimism,” he said. “He was such a completely nice bloke. He exuded enthusiasm, curiosity and a Tigger-like sense of fun. The world has lost a bright spark and an extremely caring advocate and friend… He was a boy at heart but a man for all seasons.”

Stephen’s eldest son Toby Lloyd paid an emotional tribute.

He thanked colleagues at the law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite, where Stephen spent many years as partner. In particular, he thanked his father’s colleagues “Ros, Martin and Philip”.

“They meant so much to Steve and he to them,” he said. “[Bates Wells Braithwaite] was much more than a firm. It was also a family,” he said.

Commenting on the “hundreds and hundreds” of tributes that flooded in after Stephen’s death, Lloyd said: “I didn’t realise how many people he had touched. They all talked of his worth, energy and relentless grinding positivity.”

The tributes were “all infused with such love for him that any of them could have come from his family,” said Lloyd. “But they hadn’t – they came from corporate lawyers.”

Philip Kirkpatrick, a partner of Stephen’s at Bates Wells Braithwaite, where Stephen worked for 34 years, said Stephen was a “truly wonderful person to work with”.

“All of his qualities that he had in his personal life were brought to his work life. Probably the only things that was different about Stephen in the office was his name. He was Steve at home and Stephen in the office and to many people in this room.

“He had all of the qualities you would expect and hope for from a really excellent lawyer. But lawyer is much too small a word to describe Stephen’s professional life. He was a leader and a social entrepreneur,” said Kirkpatrick. “Above all I think of him as a pioneer and an explorer. He loved finding himself in new territory.

“Stephen found a new way of being a charity lawyer. Before he set up his charity practice, no one trained to be a charity lawyer, a social finance lawyer or a social enterprise lawyer. Those sorts of things just didn’t exist. In developing those fields, Stephen drew on deep philanthropic, as well as entrepreneurial instincts.

“Andrew Hind who was the chief executive of the Charity Commission and is now editor of Charity Finance, mentioned that there was barely anything in the charity sector in the last 30 years that Stephen wasn’t involved with in some way. A few of us are trying to take hold of that work of Stephen’s in an appropriate way, and we have set up the Stephen Lloyd Awards and we hope that people will get involved with that.”

'Believed in a fairer society'

Roger Gifford, representing the City of London, spoke of his discussions with Stephen about how civil society could be developed in London.

“He encouraged more firms to get involved with philanthropy and was instrumental in looking at the ways in which profit could be used for social good,” he said. “He helped shaped the City’s social investment agenda. He believed in a better and fairer society and he showed that through his work.

“He championed London as a global centre for social investment… and exemplified conscience in a world often described as not having one. His interests will remain with us and be felt by us for many, many years to come.”

Other tributes came from environmentalist Jonathon Porritt, who said that Stephen “embodied sustainable development”.

“He was the godfather of numerous human interest groups. Today we take it for granted that social economy is mainstream. It wasn’t then,” he said.

Sir Tim Smit, founder and chief executive of the Eden Project said he was “proud to have known [Stephen] and called him a friend”.

“He was a natural communicator and saw law as liberating,” he said. “When he walked into a room, the room was always the better for him being there.”

The choir of St Martins sang anthems chosen by Stephen’s family, including Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber, I will lift up mine eyes by Herbert Howells and I was glad, by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, which the audience was encouraged to join in with "because Stephen would have enjoyed having a go at it".

Music also came from Stephen’s youngest son Humphrey Lloyd and wife Julie Decarroux, who performed a medley of Irish and Scottish music.

After the memorial, Stephen’s friends, colleagues and admirers gathered in St Martin in the Field’s Crypt to remember the man they called friend.

Former neighbours spoke to Civil Society News of his “efficiency” and “zest for life”.

“He had this zest and lust for life and was absolutely unafraid of anything or anybody or any concept,” said Roderick Rhys Jones.

Another neighbour Richard Mottram, said Stephen was “always interested in thinking about new things and new ideas and how he could improve both himself and society”.

“But that makes him sound like a rather serious kind,” he said. “He hid his seriousness behind a lot of enthusiasm and very good fun.”

Fiona Mottram spoke of Stephen’s adventurous nature: “He was very adventurous. So he would have bonfires under the oak tree which would then set on fire. He was full of adventure. All the children loved him. Any hangers-on were welcomed.”

Mike Hildesley, chair of Blackheath Halls, spoke of the work Stephen did to guide the charity through troubled times.

“Stephen was a wonderful supporter,” he said. “Essentially without him, the Blackheath Halls wouldn’t have survived. We went through a very difficult time and he introduced us to projects and tax schemes to get funding for projects which have continued since. So he was very, very influential.”

Others spoke of their sadness at their missed opportunity to work with Stephen.

William Heath, chair of the community interest group Mydex, began working with Stephen shortly before his death.  

“We are working with his colleagues now and are in very good hands,” he said. “But there is a sadness as we were very much looking forward to working with him. He will be much missed.”