VETERAN TV presenter and broadcaster Esther Rantzen, songwriter Richard Stilgoe and Liverpudlian children’s author Brian Jacques are among the celebrities who will receive Honorary Fellowships in this year’s awards by Liverpool John Moores University.
Ms Rantzen, 67, will receive her award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism and pioneering work with the ChildLine counselling service while the award to Mr Stilgoe, who provided the lyrics for classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera, is for his contribution to musical theatre and support for educating the young through performance art.
Brian Jacques, who already has an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Liverpool, received his award for his work in children’s literature: his novels, which include the hugely popular Redwall series, have sold more than 20m copies worldwide and have been published in 28 languages.
Ms Rantzen told the Post: “I am extremely honoured to have been awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the LJMU, for which I have the highest regard. They have been immensely supportive to ChildLine and our work for children, and I am deeply grateful to them.”
And Mr Jacques said: “I’m delighted to have been recognised by my own city. As a boy who did not go to grammar school and had to leave at 15 to get a job without any further education, this is indeed a very great honour of which I will be very proud.”
Other Fellowships will go to acclaimed British film producer Norma Heyman; politician and SDP co-founder Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank; astronomer Professor Martin Rees; campaigning Liverpool solicitor Andrew Holdroyd; long-standing LJMU supporter Rosemary Hawley; Liverpool Vision chief executive Jim Gill; Liverpool-born ceramics expert John Mohin and another loyal LJMU supporter, Lynette Beardwood.
In recognition of the university’s increasing connections with Malaysia, two foreign Fellowships will be presented to Ms Thye Yoong, of TRA College, and Dr Puan Hajjah Bibi Florina Abdullah, the country’s first director of nursing.
Three corporate awards will also be made to Macmillan Cancer Support, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Amnesty International.
The graduation ceremonies will take place on July 21 and July 25.
“They will be extra special this year as Dr Brian May (Queen guitarist) will be attending for the first time as our new chancellor,” said LJMU vice-chancellor Michael Brown, who added: “We pride ourselves on being an entrepreneurial university. All of our Honorary Fellows possess this trait, too, and as such are outstanding role models for our students.”
