FURTHER tributes have been paid to Lord Joel Joffe following the news of his death at the age of 85.

Since the story broke on Monday, people in Swindon and Wiltshire who knew Lord Joffe have been lining up to pay their respects to the venerable South African-born peer.

One such individual is Professor Alistair Fitt, the vice-chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, who earlier this year named their newly-opened Swindon campus after Lord Joffe.

Professor Fitt said: “It is tremendously sad to hear that Lord Joel Joffe has passed away.

“Joel was a truly inspirational figure throughout his life. His achievements ranged from campaigning for human rights and social justice to supporting charitable efforts both in Africa and closer to home.

“His commitment to the NHS in Swindon meant that it was entirely fitting that we named our new campus building in the town after him.

“I had the privilege of getting to know Joel in the past year and it was immediately apparent to all who met him what an exceptional figure he was. It was a special occasion for Oxford Brookes to pay tribute to him as he attended the official opening of the Joel Joffe Building, named in his honour earlier this year.”

Lord Joffe passed away at his home in Liddington earlier this week surrounded by his family after a brief illness.

His remarkable life saw him defend Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial in the 1960s, become a founding director of the life assurance company Allied Dunbar, formerly Hambro Life, now Zurich, and sitting in the House of Lords as, first a crossbench, then a Labour peer.

Oxford Brookes is holding graduation ceremonies this week and Lord Joffe had until very recently been due to receive an Honorary Degree.

Professor Fitt added: “Our thoughts go out to his friends and family at this very sad time as we all reflect on the life of a remarkable individual.”

Lord Joffe throughout his life supported many charities and philanthropic foundations, one of which was Humanists UK, a group which works to promote tolerance and fairness.

Humanists UK chief executive Andrew Copson said: “Humanists UK has learned with great sadness of the death of its patron of many years.

“Over the course of his life, Joel was driven by a sense that the world was full of injustice but that we as human beings, by applying our intellects and engaging our hearts, were more than capable of creating a just world for us all.

“This optimism made him a relentless campaigner and funder for a number of causes that were dear to his heart, and we at Humanists UK were very lucky to have been among them.

“We will remember Joel fondly for his towering intellect, big heart, and tremendous sense of fun, along with the many great contributions he made towards a fairer society for all.

“His death comes as a profound loss to the humanist movement.”