Who was Norah Fry?

Norah Fry (1871-1960)

Norah Fry was born and educated in Bristol. She was a member of a famous Bristol Quaker family who made chocolate and cocoa at the famous JS Fry and Sons chocolate factory.

Norah Fry was an advocate for better services for people with learning disabilities. She was very concerned about the lack of proper schools for disabled children and the shortage of housing for people with learning disabilities. For over fifty years she was a member of the council of the University of Bristol and had a very close relationship with university staff. Norah Fry gave the university some money to set up the Department of Mental Health.

When we first opened in 1988 we were looking for a name for the research centre. We decided to name the Centre after Norah Fry because she did so much for people with learning disabilities.