LoginObituary - Martin Fisher 1954 to 2026
Martin’s exceptional Trading Standards career began in August 1976 when he was one of six trainees recruited by Hampshire Consumer Protection Department. Five succeeded in securing the then DPCP qualification, the sixth opted for the priesthood in Canada.
Remembering Martin Fisher
Martin was appointed a Trading Standards officer in Hampshire’s Basingstoke office in 1978. He obtained his DCA in the same year joined the institute in 1979 and was promoted in 1984 to an Area Trading Standards Office. This marked the beginning of Martin’s devotion to Prices advertising and legislation, a subject in which he had few peers as the Trading Standards Institute’s Lead Officer on Prices.
He prosecuted a major furniture retailer under section 11 of the Trade Descriptions Act and the infamous Price Marking (Bargain Offers) Order for falsely advertising discounting on its ‘normal’ price. That retailer and the then Department of Trade and Industry civil servants soon realised that when Martin spotted error and injustice, he didn’t waver in the face of challenge. That case and his work underpinned government’s and Trading Standards Institute’s Guidance on Pricing Practices. Martins career blossomed as he rose to Hampshire’s Trading Standards Manager in 1996. He added an LLB to his qualifications file and was the lead expert for both the Institute and LACOTS on Prices, Fair Trading and Estate Agents.
He was elected on to the Institute Council from 1993 to 2001 as the Southern Branch Representative.
Martin had met Janey at Oxford University and they married in 1977. Their daughter Christina was born in 1982 and later in 2001 sister Isobel was born. It was now Martin’s turn to be mum. He became a house dad and he and Janey left Hampshire for a new life in Cornwall. It wasn’t until 2005 that Martin returned to trading standards duty when he was given a temporary appointment with Cornwall Trading Standards
Cornwall soon realised it had a star in its midst, and he was appointed full time in 2006 and became a Senior Trading Standards Officer specialising once again in Prices and Fair Trading. Typically, he launched himself into the Southwest Branch affairs and was Chairman from 2010 to 2012.
Martin’s sense of fair play soon led him to dig deep into the scandalous practices operated by some rogue park-home site owners in Cornwall. The intimidation, harassment, fraud and other appalling practices seen by Martin served only to heighten his resolve to help the many desperate residents in urgent need of professional support. This led to him working with the Parliamentary Select Committee looking into this problem and the making of the Mobile Homes Act 2013.
Martin had a love for classical music, steam trains and poetry, among other things. But his sense of fair play in Trading Standards always remained at his core.
In 2021 Martin and his wife moved from Cornwall to Trefonen near Oswestry in Shropshire and he joined the local Institute branch.
Martin was liked, loved and enjoyed by all those who had the delight of working with him. His character was one that sparked and enlivened others and from experience you never left Martin’s warm and humorous company without having learned something new. He was a wonderful wordsmith although when he won the place at Balliol College in Oxford in 1972 to read chemistry that talent was nearly lost to us – had he not seen the light and changed course a year later to read English Language and Literature. Martin would tell anyone that reading Chaucer, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot et al, was the perfect preparation for understanding the language privy to parliamentary draughtsmen.
Martin’s funeral was held on the 11th of June 2026 at All Saints Church Trefonen, Oswestry, the service was attended by family, friends and colleagues to whom we offer our sincere condolences. Unfortunately, this date was during the CTSI conference in Glasgow but at the appropriate time on the 11th of June a moment’s silence was held in remembrance of Martin.
