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Diana Athill |
Diana books Palace date
Author among those named in Queen’s New Year Honours
AUTHOR and literary editor Diana Athill is among a host of people from Camden who have made it on to the Queen’s New Year Honours list.
Ms Athill, now in her 90s, lives in Primrose Hill and as well as writing her own memoirs, she worked for publishing house Andre Deutsch.
Among the literary giants she befriended are Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac and VS Naipaul. She has been awarded an OBE for her services to literature.
Ms Athill told the New Journal that she was thrilled her work had been recognised. She said: “It is a very nice feeling to be told your services to writers are being honoured. I worked at Andre Deutsch all my life and its nice to know somebody thought it was worthwhile.”
She said that the American writers she looked after had often been edited already by her Stateside counterpart, but she also had to ensure the authors were happy. She said: “I was there to give people like Mailer and Kerouac encouragement.”
Broadcaster Jenny Abramsky, who lives in Dartmouth Park, has been made a Dame. She recently stepped down as a BBC executive, where she oversaw the corporation’s radio output.
Ms Abramsky is now the chairwoman of the Heritage Lottery Fund and she told the New Journal the award reflected the continuing importance of the role the radio plays in every day life.
She said: “I’m thrilled because I believe this honour recognises the importance of radio in this country.
“Radio is an astonishing medium that people feel passionate about. I’m proud to have played a part in ensuring that it continues to thrive.”
Actress Liz Smith, 83, who also lives in Dartmouth Park, has been given an MBE.
As well as starring in TV staples the Royle Family and the Vicar of Dibley, this autumn Ms Smith published a collection of short stories. But acting has always been her first love: she told the New Journal film critic, the late William Hall, that she cut her teeth on amateur productions at Notting Hill’s Gateway Theatre drama school.
She recalled: “The plays we performed were by milkmen, dustmen, diplomats, housewives, anybody. You can imagine the dialogue we had to grapple with, as well as making the costumes.”
The chairwoman of Rhyl primary school Helene Reardon-Bond was awarded an OBE for public and voluntary services.
Ms Reardon-Bond works in Whitehall, and has helped form policies to help promote gender equality: one topic close to her heart is increasing the numbers of councillors who are women from black and ethnic minorities. Currently, out of 20,000 councillors in England, only 149 are females from ethnic minorities.
Ms Reardon-Bond has lived in Kentish Town all her life. She said: “My family have been in this area for around 150 years. I became a governor because I believe it is a great way to help our local schools. Because of this, I am happy to accept an honour.”
For Lyn Costello, who co-founded the campaign group Mothers Against Murder and Aggression (MAMAA) in Kentish Town in 1993, the award of an MBE is “bittersweet”. She said: “It’s a nice recognition of the charity’s work but the charity is there because teenagers are dying. And it is getting worse.”
Running a children’s safety charity from her then Bartholomew Road home, Ms Costello became involved in supporting Mandy and Norman Everitt when their 15-year-old son Richard was murdered in Somers Town in 1994.
She has since provided support to the families of dozens of victims of violence, including Ben Kinsella, 16, who was stabbed to death in York Way in June.
A knighthood was awarded to Dr Mark Walport, director since 2003 of the Euston-based Wellcome Trust, for services to medical research. Dr Walport said the presence of the Wellcome Trust in Camden – including their part in the £500m superlab planned for Somers Town – would continue to boost science learning in the borough.
“If you look at cities which have developed high-tech centres of excellence, it creates an environment where there are very strong places for science teaching,” he said.
Other people in Camden who were honoured include Robert Holden, the chief executive of London and Continental Railways, who has been given a CBE for over seeing the restoration of St Pancras. Charity worker Gill Hicks received an OBE, and University College Hospital ward sister Alison Finch received an MBE. |
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