Honorary Fellows 2010
Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE
In recognition of his pioneering work for young people
Explorer Colonel Blashford-Snell has led over 100 expeditions and in 1978 established Operation Raleigh, an educational initiative for young people. He also has particular charitable connections with Liverpool.
In 1993 he chaired a £2.5 million appeal to establish a vocational training and guidance centre for young people and also helped set up the Liverpool Construction Crafts Guild to promote the training of skilled craftsmen in the city.
Read the oration for Colonel John Blashford-Snell.
Norah Button
For outstanding contribution to the performing arts
As former Principal of the Liverpool Theatre School, Norah has devoted her life to improving facilities for musical theatre students in Merseyside and further afield, working with several organisations including the International Dance Teachers’ Association and the Government’s Qualifications Curriculum Authority.
She herself began dancing at the age of three and enjoyed an extensive theatre career including appearances in three Royal Command Performances. She also established the Liverpool Theatre Ballet Company and created choreography for the Ken Dodd Diddy Men and the Carry On films.
Read the oration for Norah Button.
Kim Cattrall
For outstanding and sustained contributions to the dramatic arts
A successful actress in many fields covering television, film and theatre, Kim gained international recognition as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City which saw her win a Golden Globe Award in 2003. In 2010, Kim starred on the Liverpool stage, playing Cleopatra in a production of Antony & Cleopatra at the Playhouse.
Despite emigrating to Canada at a young age, Kim has always stayed close to her city of birth, returning to Liverpool in 2009 to take part in the BBC show Who do you think you are? where she traced her local family roots. Kim is patron of Liverpool FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), which partners with the LJMU Screen School, and she has also supported British educational charities linked to performing arts.
Read the oration for Kim Cattrall.
John Entwistle OBE
For outstanding contribution to the visual arts
Formerly a Senior Partner with Liverpool law firm Maxwell Entwistle & Byrne, John is a former President of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and British Chambers of Commerce. He is also a former trustee of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside.
John has given significant support to the Royal Academy of Arts (RA); he has been a Trustee of the RATrust since 2006 and established an RA Postgraduate Scholarship for an LJMU graduate. He also helped the Liverpool School of Art and Design establish a permanent gallery and was instrumental in the development of the University’s John Lennon Art and Design Building.
Read the oration for John Entwistle.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe
For services to law and order
Former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police and now Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Bernard was born in Sheffield and joined South Yorkshire Police in 1979, rising rapidly through the ranks. In 1997, he joined Merseyside Police as Assistant Chief Constable and, on appointment to Chief Constable in 2004, he declared his intention to make the force the best in the UK.
His approach led to the force reducing crime by 29% and anti-social behaviour by 25%, the highest drop in recorded crime anywhere in the UK. He has an MA in Law from Oxford University, a diploma in Applied Criminology and was awarded an MBA in Business Administration from Sheffield University. He is a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and has been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.
Read the oration for Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.
Sir Tim Hunt
For outstanding contributions to the field of biochemistry
Born in Neston, Wirral, Sir Tim is an acclaimed international scientist who has had a long and illustrious career. He is a renowned cancer research specialist and has worked at Cancer Research UK since 1990.
In 2001 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on cell cycle regulation and in 2006 was awarded the Royal Medal from the Royal Society. In the same year he received his knighthood.
Read the oration for Sir Tim Hunt.
Richard Lester
For outstanding and sustained contributions to the film industry
Richard has worked on several high profile films including The Three Musketeers, Superman II and Superman III but it is the Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night and Help! for which he is best known.
Many of the stylistic innovations used in the two films survive today as the conventions of music videos, in particular the multi-angle filming of a live performance, and he has been hailed the ‘Father of the Music Video’ by MTV. Richard has also won the coveted Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for The Knack …and How to Get It and is widely regarded as the film maker who successfully captured the youthful optimism of the ‘Swinging Sixties’.
Read the oration for Richard Lester.
Chrissie Maher OBE
For pioneering work in the field of communication
Chrissie is a founder of the Plain English Campaign, an organisation that promotes the use of crystal-clear communications for the public, particularly by businesses and official bodies. Born in 1938, Chrissie largely missed out on formal education and could not read until she was in her mid teens. To help others in a similar position she became heavily involved in community work.
She founded Britain’s first community newspaper, The Tuebrook Bugle and, the country’s first newspaper for semi-literate adults, The Liverpool News. Chrissie went on to be a councillor on the National Consumer Council from 1975 to 1979 and during this time started the Salford Form Market, a project to help people fill in forms which led to the birth of the Plain English Campaign. Chrissie has been awarded an OBE and the Rosemary Delbridge Memorial Trophy for her campaigning activities.
Read the oration for Chrissie Maher.
Lord Jonathan Mance
For outstanding contribution to the legal profession
Justice of the Supreme Court, the Right Honourable Lord Mance, has enjoyed a long and established legal career. Among his many achievements he has held the office of Lord Appeal in Ordinary, Lord Justice of Appeal and in 1990 became Judge of the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division, when he was also awarded his knighthood. From 2000 to 2003 he was the first chair of the Council of Europe’s Consultative Council of European Judges.
Until September 2009 he also served on the House of Lords European Union Select Committee, chairing its sub-committee responsible for scrutinising European legal and institutional proposals and participating in its report on the Lisbon Treaty in 2008. That same year he also reported on the issue of Justice and Impunity in the Congo. Lord Mance has also has chaired the International Law Association and the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Private International Law.
Read the oration for Lord Jonathan Mance.
Gerry Marsden MBE
For outstanding contribution to the performing arts
Gerry is best known as the lead singer of the band Gerry and The Pacemakers and has enjoyed several number one hits including How Do You Do It, I Like It and You’ll Never Walk Alone. Internationally renowned as a true ambassador of Liverpool, Gerry’s songs positively promote the city, with Ferry Cross the Mersey being one of Liverpool’s most iconic songs.
Alongside music Gerry is a well-known television personality and has also appeared on stage in the West End. He has been awarded the Freedom of the City and is a rare recipient of the Freedom of the Ferries.
Read the oration for Gerry Marsden.
David Molyneux
For services in the fields of tropical medicine and international health
David is the former Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Tropical Health Sciences of the University of Liverpool. Prior to joining the School he was Professor of Biology, and Dean of Science at the University of Salford.
After graduating from Cambridge University, he embarked on a career in medical parasitology.
His research work was recognised by the award of a DSc from the University of Salford and medals from the British Society for Parasitology, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the American Society of Tropical Medicine.
He has acted as a consultant on tropical health issues to several UN agencies and the World Bank and the UK Department for International Development and has chaired several WHO Committees on Tropical Diseases. He has published over 300 papers and authored and edited two major text books.
Read the oration for David Molyneux.
Phil Redmond CBE
Ambassador Fellowship for outstanding contributions to LJMU and commitment to Liverpool
Professor Redmond is the creator of three of Britain’s longest-running drama programmes, Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks. He has also written extensively for radio, television and stage. Phil was awarded the Honorary Chair of Media at LJMU in 1989 and was Founder and Chair of the International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC). Phil was also a founder member of the first North West branch of BAFTA and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He was awarded a CBE for services to drama in 2004.
Phil was also Creative Director during Liverpool’s term as European Capital of Culture 2008 and in 2011 became the Chair of the Institute for Cultural Capital, a joint venture between LJMU and the University of Liverpool. He also chaired the UK City of Culture Independent Advisory Panel. LJMU’s Redmonds Building is named after Phil and his wife, Alexis, also an LJMU Honorary Fellow.
Read the oration for Professor Phil Redmond.
Alison Steadman OBE
For outstanding and sustained contributions to performing arts
Alison’s extensive career has included stage, film, TV and radio appearances. Alison created the role of Beverly in Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party, and has appeared in a range of stage productions which have often brought her back to Liverpool, performing at the Everyman Theatre. Her successful onstage career saw Alison win the Olivier Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her role as Mari in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
She has appeared in many films with a notable performance in Life is Sweet. Alison is also a regular face in TV drama, with credits including Gavin and Stacey and Pride and Prejudice. In 2000 she was awarded an OBE for services to British drama.
Read the oration for Alison Steadman.
John Timpson CBE
For outstanding contribution to business and industry
John, Chairman of the highly successful Timpson high street chain, is one of the UK’s most successful businessmen. Ten years after the Timpson family business was taken over in 1973, he led a £42 million management buyout. Timpson, now a private business wholly owned by John Timpson and family, has over 850 branches nationwide with a turnover of £150 million and profits of over £10 million.
John has written several management books and has had his own columns in the Daily Telegraph and Real Business magazine. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE for services to the retail sector.
Read the oration for John Timpson.
