Sarah Crew reflects on a life of adventure combined with a passion for rugby and a commitment to helping underprivileged kids.

When Chris Trapman and his wife Caty retired to Belgium in 2001, little did they know it was to be the start of a new and particularly fruitful period of their lives.

After a career as an agricultural economist for the World Bank in Central America, Africa and the US, home for the Anglo-French couple was now a farm in the Condroz region of Wallonia.

While Caty trained as a sommelier, rugby fan Chris joined the local rugby club in Namur. The former second row player was soon applying his leadership skills to the burgeoning club, helping it secure grounds in Jambes and royal status.

His commitment resulted in positions as vice-president of the Ligue Belge Francophone de Rugby and the president of Royal Rugby Namur. A fan of rugby sevens, he was instrumental in growing the sport in Belgium, serving as manager of the Belgian sevens team for five years, accompanying players on tours to Dubaï, Las Vegas, Moscow and Hong Kong, to name a few. For many young players, Chris’ infectious enthusiasm for the game and the ideals it represented, inspired them on and off the pitch.

When Caty opened a wine bar in the Walloon capital, Chris helped out behind the bar, entertaining everyone with anecdotes from his far-flung travels. The inveterate sportsman also started swinging golf clubs, playing at Rougemont near Namur and Sherry Golf, Jerez, in Spain.

In Belgium, he joined fellow Britons at La Tournette with a similar love of sport and helping the less fortunate. They fundraised through golf competitions.

Says Martin Blackwell: “Chris joined the Orbit/Rinya charity projects team in 2014 and contributed tremendously until very recently; his experience in various African countries helped us enormously in understanding how to finance projects without fear of their being mismanaged. This helped us ensure that the financial support given by our friends and supporters was spent wisely. He will be sorely missed.”

The aims of the Kenyan project mirrored those at the heart of The Children of La Calera, the charity that Chris and Caty founded to help educate children in a rural village in Honduras.

The couple divided their time between Namur and their home in Spain. For the past six years, Chris stoically battled with cancer, never complaining and remaining positive and cheerful until the end.

For his family and global network of friends, Chris’s passing leaves a gaping void. He will be remembered for his wicked humour, his spirit of adventure, his English gentleman demeanour and his quiet determination to help those in need, particularly young people.

Born in Sussex on 23 August 1946, Christopher Trapman died in Namur on 22 September 2023. He is survived by his wife Caty, daughters Loïs and Zara and five grandchildren.