We are delighted to share the story of Gina MacKenzie, whose generous legacy to CPotential will help support children and families living with cerebral palsy.
Gina was a courageous woman with many passions and interests, and a strong commitment to social justice. She lived an extraordinary life, filled with adventure, learning, friendship and a deep love for her family.
A remarkable childhood and a new beginning
Gina was born in Berlin in March 1929 and enjoyed a happy childhood, attending a Rudolf Steiner school. However, life became increasingly dangerous for her family because her father was Jewish. Following Kristallnacht, he left Germany for Britain in 1938, where he was initially interned as an enemy alien.
In 1939, Gina and her sister left Berlin on a Kindertransport train, leaving behind their mother and baby brother. The family would not be reunited until 1947.
Initially fostered in Yorkshire, the sisters sadly experienced mistreatment. They were later rescued by their older half-sister, who found them places at Stoatley Rough School in Haslemere, Surrey, a boarding school for refugee children. There, they found happiness and security despite the ongoing war.
Gina left school at 17 and trained as a librarian in Guildford, beginning a lifelong love affair with books.
A life of adventure, family and learning
After moving to a post at the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, Gina met her future husband, who was studying for a degree following his military service in the Second World War. They married on her 22nd birthday.
Not long afterwards, accompanied by their two-year-old and six-month-old sons, they bravely set out on the Orient Express to Istanbul and onwards to rural Iraq. They lived in remote villages for a year while Gina’s husband studied local Kurdish dialects for his PhD.
The family later settled in Muswell Hill, where they went on to have two more children. Following the end of her marriage, Gina worked at Foyles and later at the Muswell Hill Bookshop. She sang for many years with the Highgate Choral Society and took great pleasure in spending time with her family.
She often looked after her three grandsons in London and regularly visited her three grandchildren growing up in Switzerland. She was a loving and attentive mother, grandmother and, later, great-grandmother to her three great-grandchildren.
A lifelong commitment to social justice
Gina was deeply interested in current affairs, art and culture. She read her daily newspaper and watched the BBC News, and she continued to pursue her interests through further education courses.
In March 2020, aged 91, she was attending a course in Islamic Art at the Mary Ward Centre in London. It took some persuasion from her grandchildren to convince her that travelling on public transport was no longer safe.
Gina supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and volunteered with Amnesty International, Freedom from Torture and MIND. Her commitment to social justice remained a defining part of her life.
Her connection with CPotential
Gina’s involvement with what was then the London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy, now CPotential, began in the 1980s after she watched a documentary about conductive education at the Peto Institute in Hungary.
Inspired by what she saw, Gina occasionally volunteered at the centre and also became a donor. Her interest in supporting children with cerebral palsy continued throughout her life, and we are deeply grateful that she chose to remember CPotential in her will.
A lasting legacy
Gina retained a lifelong love of the mountains. At age 90, she travelled by train with her daughter and one of her sons from London to the Dolomites in Italy, via Paris and Zurich.
She was also a loyal friend, with friendships spanning every stage of her life. In later years, Gina experienced a range of physical and mental health challenges and eventually developed Alzheimer’s disease. She was cared for in her own home, as she had wished, and died on 9 July 2025.
At her memorial service, family and friends remembered Gina as stubborn, shy, kind, loving and someone with a wonderful sense of humour.
Her four children are very proud that she included three generous charitable legacies in her will, supporting causes close to her heart. We are honoured to be one of those charities. Gina’s legacy will help CPotential continue its work supporting children and young people with cerebral palsy and their families to achieve their potential.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Gina’s family for sharing her story and for choosing to remember CPotential in such a meaningful way.
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