Press announcement – photo and interview schedule for Liverpool John Moores University Honorary Fellowships 2015
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has released details of the Honorary Fellowships to be conferred during its graduation ceremonies this July.
The Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding achievement by an individual in a given field or profession and to those who exemplify the University’s ethos to ‘dream, plan and achieve’.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Weatherill said:
“The Honorary Fellows each represent a different profession and background and reflect the full range of disciplines within the University. Their passion and commitment in their chosen field illustrates the defining ethos of LJMU to dream, plan and achieve and to do so in support of others. They are all role models for our students and for our staff and I look forward to their participation in the life of the University through our Fellowship.”
The following Fellowships will be conferred during LJMU’s graduation ceremonies at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 13th to 17th July 2015.
Important information
- Please arrive 15 minutes before the appearance times listed below
- Please confirm attendance to guarantee press passes via Clare Coombes/ Siobhan Coghlan 0151 231 3369 or press@ljmu.ac.uk
- Photos and filming of the ceremonies and acceptance speeches are permitted inside the cathedral but please book a place in advance
Honorary Fellowships photo and interview schedule
Monday 13 July
Who: David Charters for his outstanding contribution to writing and communications.
When: 10am, Monday 13 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Photo opportunity
Who: Ramsey Campbell receives his Honorary Fellowship for his outstanding contribution to literature.
When: 2pm, Monday 13 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Tuesday 14 July
Photo opportunity
Who: Andrew Miller MP for outstanding services to science and technology in politics.
When: 10.00am Tuesday 14 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Wednesday 15 July
Photo opportunity
Who: Dame Philippa Russell for her outstanding contribution to Disability Rights and her unwavering support for carers, their families and disabled children.
When: 10.00am Wednesday 15 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Photo opportunity
Who: Lady Grantchester for outstanding contribution to arts, business and community.
When: 2.00pm Wednesday 15 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Thursday 16 July
Photo opportunity
Who: Senator Datuk Seri Syed Ali Al-Habshee receives his Honorary Fellowship for outstanding contribution to education in Malaysia.
When: 10.00am Thursday 16 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Thursday 16 July
Who: Sir Howard Newby CBE DL for outstanding services to higher education.
When: 2.00pm Thursday 16 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Friday 17 July
Photo opportunity
Who: Professor Viv Bennett receives her Honorary Fellowship for outstanding services to public health nursing.
When: 2.00pm, Friday 17 July 2015
Where: Rankin Steps, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
Please see below for Honorary Fellow biographies
David Charters, for his outstanding contribution to writing and communications. David has been a journalist on Merseyside for 50 years, starting at the Birkenhead News. He freelanced for national and regional publications, as well as TV and radio, before joining the Liverpool Daily Post, where he held several positions in the reporters' room and the newsdesk, before becoming a feature writer, winning numerous awards. He is best known for his weekly column, which ran for almost 25 years until the Post ceased publication. For more than two years, he has been writing a Friday column in the Wirral edition of the Echo. He is the author of a number of books; Liverpool: A World In One City, Great Liverpudlians, and Life, Love and Washing Up and the play, A Dream Of Wilfred Owen. David is a founder judge in the Liverpool Athenaeum competition for young writers. The poem David wrote in memory of the lives lost in the Hillsborough Disaster is cast in bronze on the memorial at the bottom of St John's Gardens, Liverpool.
Ramsey Campbell receives his Honorary Fellowship for his outstanding contribution to literature. Born in Liverpool, he attended St Edwards’ College, and has lived all of his life on Merseyside. He is a writer, editor and critic who has been a creative force for over 50 years. He is perhaps the world’s most decorated author of horror, winning four World Fantasy Awards, ten British Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards, and the Horror Writers’ Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ramsey has a longstanding relationship with BBC Radio Merseyside, where he regularly broadcasts, having been the station’s film reviewer in 1969. In recent years the Liverpool Echo included him as a member of ‘The Scouserati’ – the 366 most influential Scousers on the planet.
Andrew Miller MP for outstanding services to science and technology in politics. Andrew was Labour MP for Ellesmere Port & Neston from 1992-2015. He was educated in Malta and at the London School of Economics, and holds a Diploma in Industrial Relations. He has been Chair of both the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee and the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee during the last Parliament. He represented 70,000 electors and as well as dealing with numerous widely diverse issues at constituency level, in addition to other Parliamentary roles. The Science Council recognised him as “one of the UK’s 100 leading practising scientists” of 2015 and in November 2015 he was awarded an honorary DSc by the University of Chester. Andrew is a keen supporter of the work of the Astrophysics Research Institute and recently hosted a special event for the team in the House of Commons to help promote their work within Parliament.
Dame Philippa Russell for her outstanding contribution to Disability Rights and her unwavering support for carers, their families and disabled children. Dame Philippa Russell has been chair of the UK government Standing Commission on Carers since 2007; the independent advisory body providing expert advice to Ministers and the Carers Strategy Cross-Government Programme Board. She was formerly Director of the Council for Disabled Children and a Commissioner with the Disability Rights Commission. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was awarded an OBE for her work with children with special educational needs and their families, and the CBE for services to disabled people. In the 2009 Queens Birthday Honours List, she was made a Dame. In 1990 she was awarded the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Centenary International Award for women who have contributed to the field of learning disability and in 2004 she was awarded the 4Children Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in developing childcare and other services for disabled children and their families. In 2005 she received the RADAR (Royal Association of Disability and Rehabilitation) Lifetime Achievement Award for the furtherance of the human and civil rights of disabled people.
Lady Grantchester for outstanding contribution to arts, business and community. Lady Grantchester, Betty Suenson-Taylor (née Betty Moores) is a member of the Moores family and the daughter of Sir John Moores. LJMU took its name from Sir John Moores, founder of the Littlewoods empire and one of the great civic leaders of his time. Lady Grantchester was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge and was a Director of Littlewoods between 1977 and 1997. She is a great supporter of alma mater and in particular, the Lucy Cavendish College which encourages mature women back into education. Lady Grantchester is the lead patron of the John Moores Painting prize, a biennial competition celebrating contemporary art in the UK that was established by her father, and the John Moores Painting Prize China, supporting emerging artists in the region. LJMU hosted the winners of the John Moores Painting Prize, China culminating in a special exhibition at the University in June 2015.
Senator Datuk Seri Syed Ali Al-Habshee receives his Honorary Fellowship for outstanding contribution to education in Malaysia. Senator Al-Habshee is the Chairman of Kolej Teknologi YPC-iTWEB (Kolej YPC) in Malaysia, a not-for-profit organisation, which offers opportunities for students from less privileged backgrounds to undertake higher education by providing scholarships and financial assistance. The ethos of Kolej YPC is ‘Education for everybody’, and its mission is to provide affordable education opportunities for all. It specifically aims to equip students with the most current knowledge and skills in business and technology, to ensure that future generations are well prepared to face the progressive and ever-changing world of this industry. LJMU and Kolej YPC run a number of collaborative partnerships which enable Malaysian students to study in Liverpool and Senator Al-Habshee is a keen supporter of LJMU.
Professor Sir Howard Newby CBE for outstanding services to higher education.
Professor Sir Howard Newby CBE was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool from 2008 to 2015. Sir Howard grew up in Derbyshire and attended the University of Essex where he gained a BA and PhD. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of England (UWE), having also been Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton from 1994 to 2001 and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). From 1999 to 2001, Sir Howard was President of Universities UK, the UK body which represents the university sector. He was also President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science for 2001-2002. He was made a CBE in 1995 for services to social science and received a knighthood in 2000 for services to higher education. He helped to enhance the University of Liverpool's reputation as a centre for "knowledge exchange", extending its partner university in China.
Professor Viv Bennett receives her Honorary Fellowship for outstanding services to public health nursing. Viv has been Nurse Director for Public Health England since 2012. As the Government’s Principal Advisor on Public Health Nursing, she provides high quality and independent nursing advice to ministers and officials on policy issues and public health nursing and is the national lead for developing public health nursing and midwifery. She leads the national programme ‘Best Start for All Our Children’ and the Health Visiting and School Nurse Development programmes. Viv’s professional responsibilities including the national health care professionals programme ‘Caring for the Population’s Health’ and advising WHO Europe on nursing and midwifery strategy. She is a ‘digital social media champion’ using blogs and twitter to connect with professionals, partners and the public on health and wellbeing. Viv has a Masters degree at University Bristol in health and social policy, is an Honorary Fellow and Visiting Professor at King’s College London, and is a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute and the Institute of Health Visiting.
Press enquiries:
Siobhan Coghlan/Clare Coombes: 0151 231 3369, 07929 999 394, press@ljmu.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
The Honorary Fellowship is the highest award the University can bestow. Fellowships are typically conferred during the graduation ceremonies. Recipients are selected for outstanding achievements in their particular professional fields and for their association with the city and/or the University. Fellows of the University become closely associated with Faculty staff and students in their professional areas and often return to give seminars, masterclasses and guest lectures.
