Tuesday, 12 October 2010

News - Colman Getty Consultancy

Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), responds to the findings of the Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance, chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley

 

Carl Gilleard said: "The AGR commends Lord Browne's Review on putting forward a set of recommendations that will secure a sustainable future for higher education.

 

"We support the removal of the cap on student tuition fees, as recommended by this review. It was a key recommendation outlined in our submission to the review panel and one we identified as a high priority in our pre-general election manifesto earlier this year.

 

"In 2006, when tuition fees were introduced, higher education took a step forward to a market economy. Under the new proposals there will be no single fixed price for higher education, recognising the wide diversity of provision. Students will be rightly be at the heart of the system and expanded student choice will drive up quality of provision, which is something the AGR and business in general will welcome.

 

"When we recommended for the cap to be lifted we called for safeguards to ensure that students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are not excluded. We are pleased to see that Lord Browne has taken such important considerations into account.

 

"We are also pleased to see that the review has recommended that part time students should be treated the same as full time students for the costs of learning, meaning that individuals will more easily be able to find a variety of routes into higher education, in a way that is convenient for them.

 

"Overall we hope that these proposed measures will lead to students making more considered and informed choices about their chosen course of study and welcome the emphasis on this in the report.

 

"As a final point, while we recognise that the proposal for repayment of fees based on income aims to make the system more progressive and fair, at the same time we have concerns that this could also potentially be a tax on ambition and success, ultimately penalising graduates who achieve and who move into the top jobs.

 

"The AGR now calls on the coalition government to adopt these recommendations, which are a result of an extremely thorough review process, in which a wide range of experts from right across the education and careers sector, including ourselves, were consulted."

 

Ends/..

 

For further information or for further comment, please contact:

Scarlett Yianni or Rebecca Griffiths at Colman Getty on 020 7631 2666 / scarlett@colmangetty.co.uk / rebeccagriffiths@colmangetty.co.uk

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

Carl Gilleard, the Chief Executive of the AGR, is available for interview.

 

The AGR is the leading voice of graduate recruiters and developers and has 750 members from both the public and private sectors. To find out more about AGR membership, visit www.agr.org.uk and click on 'Join AGR' or call 01926 623 236.

 

The AGR pre-election manifesto 2010 Talent, Opportunity, Prosperity was published on 9 March. Copies are available from Colman Getty on request and can be downloaded from www.agr.org.uk

 

Lord Browne of Madingley published this morning his Independent Review into Higher Education Funding and Student Finance in England. The executive summary and the report itself can be downloaded at: www.independent.gov.uk/browne-report

 

Posted by Sheerin Aswat | Live on Tuesday 12th of October 2010 05:08:21 AM
Tags : Carl Gilleard, AGR, Association of Graduate Recruiters, graduates, Browne review, Higher education funding, tuition fees

Seamus Heaney wins £10,000 Forward Prize for Best Collection 2010

 

 

The winners for the 19th annual Forward Prizes for Poetry, one of the UK's most valuable poetry prizes, were announced on Wednesday 6 October 2010, the eve of National Poetry Day.

 

 

 

 

This is the first time that Seamus Heaney, 71, has won the Forward Prize for Best Collection. One of the leading and most admired poets of his generation, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. He published his first collection, Death of a Naturalist, in 1966. Seamus Heaney has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection twice before, in 1996 for The Spirit Level, and in 2006 for District and Circle. He has also been shortlisted twice for the Best Single Poem category. Human Chain, published by Faber & Faber, is his first collection since 2006. 

 

Hilary Menos, 45, has won The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection, worth £5,000, for her first collection Berg, published by Seren. Berg is a diverse and witty collection in which icebergs float down the Thames, and aliens wade in the Hudson River. Hilary Menos has previously won or been placed in numerous competitions including the Mslexia Poetry Competition, BBC Wildlife Magazine Poet of the Year, the Buxton Poetry Competition and the Envoi Poetry Competition. She published a pamphlet, Extra Maths, in 2004.

 

Julia Copus, 41, has won The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, worth £1,000, with An Easy Passage, published by Magma. Julia Copus's debut collection The Shuttered Eye was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection in 1996. In 2002 she won the National Poetry Competition with her poem, Breaking the Rule, and in 2003 she published her second collection, In Defence of Adultery.

Chair of judges, poet and author Ruth Padel comments:

"This was an astonishingly strong year for poetry and the judges enjoyed deliberating each of the categories. The decision was not easy.

 

"Seamus Heaney's Human Chain is a collection of painful, honest, and delicately weighted poems. It is a wonderful and humane achievement.

 

"For Best First Collection we chose Hilary Menos's Berg. We loved its wit, range and strength, the way that each poem is a complete world in itself, and moves you out to strange places. The poems are contemporary, varied and highly imaginative.

 

"In the Best Single Poem category, we chose Julia Copus's poem An Easy Passage for its unsettling strangeness, the shifts of perspective and confident line."

The other Forward judges for 2010 are poet and columnist Hugo Williams, performance poet Dreadlockalien, journalist and broadcaster Alex Clark, and award-winning actress and director Fiona Shaw.

William Sieghart, Chairman of the Forward Arts Foundation, comments:

 

"An exciting year for poetry and by all accounts a difficult year to judge, but I am thrilled that Seamus Heaney has won this year's prize for the first time. The prize continues to support new writers, and I hope that debut poet Hilary Menos will have many more years of success ahead of her. I also congratulate former shortlisted poet Julia Copus. My thanks to this year's judges for their hard work and support for the Prizes. "

 

The Forward Prizes were founded by William Sieghart in 1992 to raise the profile of contemporary poetry and are sponsored by The Forward Group.  Worth a total of £16,000, the Forward Prizes reward both established and up-and-coming poets.

 

The winners of the Forward Prizes are announced tonight, the eve of National Poetry Day, at a ceremony in Somerset House, London.

 

The Forward Prize for Best Collection
£10,000 - sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Seamus Heaney                  Human Chain                                   Faber & Faber

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in County Derry, Northern Ireland. His first collection, Death of a Naturalist, was published in 1966, and since then he has published poetry, criticism and translations. He is seen as one of the leading poets of his generation. He has twice won the Whitbread Book of the Year, for The Spirit Level (1996) and Beowulf (1999). In 1995 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and in 1996 he was made a Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1996.  

 

The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection
£5,000 - sponsored by Felix Dennis and the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Hilary Menos                                    Berg                                                    Seren

Hilary Menos was born in 1964 in Luton. She graduated from Wadham College, Oxford and went on to work as a food journalist and restaurant critic in London before moving to Devon where she is owner and partner of Beenleigh Manor Devon Organics (a small mixed organic farm in Devon). She has won the Envoi International Poetry Competition in 2002, was one of five first stage winners of The Poetry Business Book and Pamphlet Competition 2004, and won prizes in the Mslexia Poetry competition and the BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year Competition in 2006.

 

The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in memory of Michael Donaghy
£1,000 - sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Julia Copus                           An Easy Passage                            Magma

Julia Copus was born in London in 1969. She won an Eric Gregory Award in 1994 and in the same year published a pamphlet, Walking in the Shadows, which was also a winner in the Poetry Business competition. In 2002 she won the National Poetry Competition with her poem, Breaking the Rule. From 2005-2008, she was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Exeter University, and in January 2007, Poet in Residence at The Guardian. Her two collections of poetry, The Shuttered Eye (1995) and In Defence of Adultery (2003), were both Poetry Book Society Recommendations, and the former was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection in 1996.

 

For further information about the prizes, please contact

Sarah Watson or Kate Wright Morris at Colman Getty

on 020 7631 2666 or sarah@colmangetty.co.uk

Mobile number after 4pm on Wednesday 6 October 07871 641552 (not for publication)

 

- Ends -

Notes to editors:

 

1.       The Forward Prizes are one of the UK's most valuable annual prizes for poetry, with a total prize value of £16,000.  The prizes are divided into three categories: The Forward Prize for Best Collection (£10,000), The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection (£5,000) and the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (£1,000).

 

2.       147 collections published in the UK and Ireland between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010 were considered for this year's Prizes.  119 poems, either published in a newspaper or magazine between 1 May 2009 and 30 April 2010, or winners of poetry prizes in the same period, were submitted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem

 

3.       The shortlists for the Forward Prizes for Poetry 2010 were:

 

The Forward Prize for Best Collection

£10,000 - sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Seamus Heaney                 Human Chain                          Faber & Faber

Lachlan Mackinnon          Small Hours                              Faber & Faber

Sinéad Morrissey                Through the Square Window   Carcanet

Robin Robertson                The Wrecking Light                  Picador

Fiona Sampson                  Rough Music                            Carcanet

Jo Shapcott                       Of Mutability                           Faber & Faber

 

The Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection

£5,000 - sponsored by Felix Dennis and the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Christian Campbell           Running the Dusk                    Peepal Tree

Hilary Menos                      Berg                                         Seren

Abegail Morley                  How to Pour Madness into a

 Teacup                                   Cinnamon Press

Helen Oswald                    Learning Gravity                      Tall Lighthouse

Steve Spence                    A Curious Shipwreck               Shearsman Books

Sam Willetts                        New Light for the Old Dark     Jonathan Cape

 

The Forward Prize for Best Single Poem in memory of Michael Donaghy

£1,000 - sponsored by the Forward Arts Foundation

 

Kate Bingham                    On Highgate Hill                      Times Literary Supplement

Julia Copus                       An easy passage                    Magma

Lydia Fulleylove                 Night Drive                              Bridport Prize

Chris Jones                        Sentences                                Staple

Ian Pindar                          Mrs Beltinska in the Bath         National Poetry Competition

Lee Sands                          The Reach                               Times Literary Supplement

 

4.       Previous winners of the Forward Prizes are:

 

Best Collection: Don Paterson Rain (Faber & Faber) 2009, Mick Imlah The Lost Leader (Faber & Faber) 2008,  Sean O'Brien The Drowned Book (Picador) 2007, Robin Robertson Swithering (Jonathan Cape) 2006, David Harsent Legion (Faber & Faber) 2005, Kathleen Jamie The Tree House (Picador) 2004, Ciaran Carson Breaking News (Gallery Press) 2003, Peter Porter Max is Missing (Picador) 2002, Sean O'Brien Downriver (Picador) 2001, Michael Donaghy Conjure (Picador) 2000, Jo Shapcott My Life Asleep (OUP) 1999, Ted Hughes Birthday Letters (Faber & Faber) 1998, Jamie McKendrick The Marble Fly (OUP) 1997, John Fuller Stones and Fires (Chatto) 1996, Sean O'Brien Ghost Train (OUP) 1995, Alan Jenkins Harm (Chatto) 1994, Carol Ann Duffy Mean Time (Anvil Press)1993 and Thom Gunn The Man with Night Sweats (Faber & Faber) 1992

 

Best First Collection: Emma Jones The Striped World (Faber & Faber) 2009, Kathryn Simmons Sunday at the Skin Launderette (Seren) 2008, Daljit Nagra Look We Have Coming To Dover (Faber & Faber) 2007, Tishani Doshi Countries of the Body (Aark Arts) 2006, Helen Farish Intimates (Jonathan Cape) 2005, Leontia Flynn These Days (Jonathan Cape) 2004, A.B. Jackson Fire Stations (Anvil Press) 2003, Tom French Touching the Bones (Gallery Press) 2002, John Stammers Panoramic Lounge-bar (Picador) 2001, Andrew Waterhouse In (The Rialto) 2000, Nick Drake The Man in the White Suit (Bloodaxe) 1999, Paul Farley The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You (Picador) 1998, Robin Robertson A Painted Field (Picador) 1997, Kate Clanchy Slattern (Chatto) 1996, Jane Duran Breathe Now, Breathe (Enitharmon) 1995, Kwame Dawes Progeny of Air (Peepal Tree) 1994, Don Paterson Nil Nil (Faber & Faber) 1993 and Simon Armitage Kid (Faber & Faber) 1992

 

Best Single Poem: Robin Robertson At Roane Head (London Review of Books) 2009, Don Paterson Love Poem For Natalie 'Tusja' Beridze (Poetry Review) 2008, Alice Oswald Dunt (Poetry London), 2007, Sean O'Brien Fantasia on a Theme of James Wright (Poetry Review) 2006, Paul Farley Liverpool Disappears for a Billionth of a Second (The North) 2005, Daljit Nagra Look We Have Coming to Dover (Poetry Review) 2004, Robert Minhinnick The Fox in the Museum of Wales (Poetry London) 2003, Medbh McGuckian (2002), Ian Duhig (2001), Tessa Biddington (2000), Robert Minhinnick (1999), Sheenagh Pugh (1998), Lavinia Greenlaw (1997), Kathleen Jamie (1996), Jenny Joseph (1995), Iain Crichton Smith (1994), Vicki Feaver (1993) and Jackie Kay (1992)

 

5.       Chair of judges, Ruth Padel, and the short-listed poets may be available for interview on request. Photographs and further information on the poets is available from the individual publicists listed above

 

6.       William Sieghart, Chairman of the Forward Arts Foundation, is the founder of National Poetry Day and the Forward Prizes.  He is available for interview through Colman Getty

 

7.       The Forward Arts Foundation operates from Forward, one of the UK's leading customer publishing agencies. Forward creates beautifully crafted, highly targeted customer communications for clients such as Patek Philippe, Bang & Olufsen, Tesco, Ford, Standard Life, Transport for London and Barclays.

Forward's bespoke magazines, websites, ezines and emails are produced in 38 languages and reach customers in 172 countries. For more information please visit www.theforwardgroup.com

 

8.       The Forward Arts Foundation is the primary sponsor of the Forward Prizes for Poetry and is behind National Poetry Day and Big Arts Week

 

9.       Copies of the short-listed books and the single poems are available on request from Colman Getty

 

Posted by Sheerin Aswat | Live on Thursday 07th of October 2010 05:15:29 AM
Tags : National Poetry Day, Forward Poetry Prize, Seamus Heaney

Failure and adversity are key to leadership potential, say UK employers

 

 

There is no substitute for failure when it comes to identifying and developing great leaders, according to research published today (05 October) by the Institute of Leadership & Management. The report, Creating Future Leaders, reveals that a quarter of employers (24%) look for candidates who have experienced failure and bounced back from difficult challenges when identifying their next generation of leaders.

 

The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) asked HR professionals from commercial organisations, the majority of which employ over 1,000 staff, their views on their current senior management teams, how they identify and develop potential future leaders, and what aspiring leaders can do to improve their career prospects.

 

It found that a worrying 94% of respondents believe their senior management lack essential leadership qualities and require development in these areas. The ability to motivate (36%) and emotional intelligence (34%) were seen as the most important characteristics for effective leaders.

 

Penny de Valk, Chief Executive of ILM, said: "Our research shows the value employers place on experiencing failure. A path of unbroken success on your CV suggests a manager hasn't really been tested. But failure is not something we're particularly comfortable with in the UK, it is not seen as a rite of passage". 

 

De Valk continued: "It is also a real concern that such a high proportion of HR professionals believe their senior teams are falling short. This leadership skills gap is holding UK businesses back. We need to get better at developing these essential people leadership capabilities, such as the ability to motivate, alongside the 'harder' technical, professional and commercial skills."   

 

Creating Future Leaders looked at how much value employers placed on an MBA when recruiting future leaders. 68% percent considered the qualification to be of low importance in the recruitment process and the majority (84%) were ambivalent about their effectiveness in developing the required characteristics of future business leaders. Nearly a third of respondents deemed the MBA ineffective at developing personal characteristics.

 

Talking about the value of MBAs to employers, Penny de Valk, said: "It is clear that employers do see the value of the MBA to an individual's professional development, and it is considered effective in developing a theoretical understanding of business and expanding personal networks. However, the value of MBAs to organisations is less clear. The people we talked to highlighted that they want flexible and bespoke training that is tailored to their business and reflective of the organisation's specific needs.

 

"Employers want value for money and a real return on their investment in management development that translates into results in the workplace."

 

Other findings

 

"Career success is dependent on a manager demonstrating and developing a rich palette of knowledge, capabilities and personal attributes," said de Valk. "This requires a commitment from both the individual and the organisation to ongoing development at every stage of their career."

 

The full Creating Future Leaders report is available is available to download from ILM's website: www.i-l-m.com.

 

Ends/..

 

For further information or copies of the full report please contact:

Ellie Backhouse or Scarlett Yianni at Colman Getty:

020 7631 2666 / ellie@colmangetty.co.uk / scarlett@colmangetty.co.uk

 

Spokespeople available for interviews (contact Colman Getty):

  • Penny de Valk, Chief Executive, ILM
  • David Pardey, Head of Policy and Research, ILM

 

Notes to editors

 

The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) is Europe's leading management organisation. We believe that good leadership and management holds the key to organisational effectiveness and social and economic prosperity.

 

Our fast-growing community of over 30,000 practising leaders and managers, gives us a real insight into the issues affecting the management community day-to-day, both in the UK and globally.

 

Each year we help over 85,000 practising and aspiring managers to fulfil their potential and achieve success through a range of flexible leadership and management development solutions.

 

Backed by an in depth programme of research, ILM operates internationally, improving leadership and management skills, across all sectors, from financial services to the armed forces.

 

Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) www.i-l-m.com

 

About the research

 

Methodology

 

The Creating Future Leaders report is based on the findings of a qualitative survey of senior HR directors working in the private sector and not for profit organisations, conducted by research consultancy FreshMinds in March and April 2010, and commissioned by the Institute of Leadership & Management.

 

ILM commissioned FreshMinds Research to conduct qualitative research to understand what organisations look for in their future business leaders and senior managers, and what development opportunities exist to prepare them for their roles.

 

During March and April 2010, FreshMinds successfully completed 50 telephone interviews with HR directors, senior HR managers, heads of talent, and heads of learning and development. The research sample included 48 respondents from private sector businesses and two from not-for-profit organisations which operated in a similar manner to private sector companies. Respondents came from a wide spread of industry sectors, organisation sizes and areas of operation.

 

Posted by Sheerin Aswat | Live on Tuesday 05th of October 2010 04:27:54 AM
Tags : The Institute of Leadership and Management

woman&home magazine launches inaugural 40:40 List of inspirational women over 40

 

 

- Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley and Nigella Lawson featured in 40:40 List, on sale Thursday 30 September -

 

woman&home magazine today unveils its first-ever list of 40 inspirational women aged over 40. The list celebrates role models and trail-blazers across every field of enterprise, from performing arts to science, and business to sport, showcasing their achievements over the past year.

 

By celebrating the accomplishments of these brilliant and talented women the 40:40 List underlines that success can come at any age, providing an antidote to the abundance of awards highlighting young talent.  

 

The women featured on the 40:40 List include:

 

 

A 40:40 longlist was created by woman&home magazine and its readers and the final 40 were then selected by a distinguished panel of female judges: Karren Brady, Miriam González Durántez, Emma Hope, Nicky Kinnaird, Sara Murray MBE, Fiona Phillips and chaired by the editorial director of woman&home, Sue James.

 

The list features many well-known names and faces - from the indefatigable actress Dame Judi Dench to author JK Rowling and choreographer and star of the small screen, Arlene Phillips - but also attempts to highlight the successes of other women outside of the traditional glare of celebrity, such as Kids Company CEO, Camila Batmanghelidjh, poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Director of the Tate Britain, Penelope Curtis.

 

Each of the women featured on the list has enjoyed particular success over the past year. woman&home November's cover star, Dame Helen Mirren, has had a brilliant year - winning Best Actress at the Rome International Film Festival for her performance in The Last Station, and working on a host of new movies including, The Tempest, Brighton Rock, RED and the much-hyped remake of Arthur with Russell Brand.

 

Other women recognised include Natalie Massenet, founder of luxury brand website, Net-A-Porter.com, who sold her stake in the business for an estimated £50m in April 2010, and Emma Parry OBE, co-founder of the charity Help for Heroes, who has raised more than £55m since it was launched just three years ago. Earlier this month Parry organised the Heroes Concert, headlined by Robbie Williams, Pixie Lott and James Blunt.

 

Sue James, editorial director of woman&home and chair of the judging panel, says: "Our 40:40 List is a real celebration of those women of 40 plus who have most inspired us over the past year. Together with our panel of judges - all inspirational women themselves - we have chosen the 40 names we feel have had a particularly brilliant year. They are role models and trail-blazers from across every field of enterprise. These remarkable women are leading emergency responses to international crises, making political history, achieving stand-out business success and entertaining the nation. This list truly highlights the brilliant work being done by women of 40 plus in the UK."

 

Fellow judge, Miriam González Durántez, who is the head of international trade law at leading law firm DLA Piper and married to Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, says: "It was a privilege to be part of this celebration of female talent.  I hugely appreciated being part of a panel that had the opportunity to recognise the hard work of women like Harriet Harman who have made an impressive contribution to the political debate on women rights. Furthermore, I am glad that by showcasing women like Dr Nicola Brewer, the High Commissioner to South Africa, business journalist Gillian Tett and Dame Marjorie Scardino, CEO of Pearson, the panel has recognised the importance of women making progress in traditionally male-dominated sectors and roles."‪

 

Speaking about the selection process for the list, woman&home columnist Karren Brady, who is vice chairman of West Ham United and Lord Alan Sugar's assistant on The Apprentice, says: "With so many brilliant women to choose from it was a real challenge to select just 40; we could have included many, many more. All of the women on the list are strong, driven and visionary role models who demonstrate just how much we can go on to achieve at 40 and beyond."

 

The full 40:40 feature is published on Thursday 30 September in the November issue of woman&home (priced £3.60).

 

Ends/..

 

 

For further information please contact Ellie Backhouse or Scarlett Yianni at Colman Getty on 020 7631 2666 /

ellie@colmangetty.co.uk / scarlett@colmangetty.co.uk

 

 

Notes to editors

 

woman&home is the top-selling monthly title on the UK newsstand for 40+ women and the fastest-growing lifestyle magazine. It epitomises a 'brand new attitude' for women over 40 and was the first magazine to echo this new spirit.

 

Each month woman&home presents a stylish mix of content reflecting the way women live and work today. The magazine covers all areas of a woman's life in a fresh modern way.

 

 

40:40 judging panel:

 

  • Karren Brady, vice chairman of West Ham United and Lord Alan Sugar's  assistant on The Apprentice
  • Miriam González Durántez, who is the head of international trade law at leading law firm DLA Piper and married to the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
  • Emma Hope, a leading UK shoe designer who has designed for Paul Smith, Anna Sui, Mulberry and Betty Jackson
  • Nicky Kinnaird MBE, founder and creative director of Space NK
  • Sara Murray, a serial entrepreneur, founder of Confused.com and most recently founder of Buddi, a GPS personal tracker
  • Fiona Phillips, television journalist, presenter and writer
  • Chair: Sue James, editorial director of woman&home and womanandhome.com

 

 

The full 40:40 list:

 

Angela Ahrendts, 50

Diana Athill OBE, 92

Camila Batmanghelidjh, 45

Celia Birtwell, 69

Her Excellency Dr Nicola Brewer, 52

Rebekah Brooks, 41

Gurinder Chadha, 50

Shami Chakrabarti, 41

Penelope Curtis, 48

Wendy Dagworthy, 60

Dame Judi Dench, 75

Carol Ann Duffy, 54

Sally Greene OBE, 54

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, 41

Orla Guerin, 44

Harriet Harman, 60

Cath Kidston, 50

Nigella Lawson, 50 

Annie Lennox, 55

Caroline Lucas MP, 50

Joanna Lumley, 64

Hilary Mantel, 58

Natalie Massenet, 44

Helen Mirren, 65

Elisabeth Murdoch, 41

Sophie Okonedo, 40

Emma Parry, 50

Arlene Phillips, 67

Gail Rebuck, 59

Vanessa Redgrave, 73

Tessa Ross, 48

Dame Nancy Rothwell, 54

J.K. Rowling, 45

Dame Marjorie Scardino, 62

Delia Smith, 68

Dame Barbara Stocking, 53

Laura Tenison MBE, 43

Gillian Tett, 43

Julie Walters, 60

Dame Vivienne Westwood, 68

 

Posted by Sheerin Aswat | Live on Wednesday 29th of September 2010 10:59:32 AM
Tags : woman&home magazine, woman&home, woman and home magazine, 40:40 List, inspirational women

Lumos calls on Deputy Prime Minister to agree a plan to meet the MDGs by 2015

 

- Poverty, poor health, lack of education services and discrimination still key drivers for systematic institutionalisation of children -

 

As the UN's Plenary Meeting in New York gets underway, Lumos today (20 September 2010) calls for Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, to ensure that the summit culminates in a plan to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

 

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of Lumos, said: "If the UN Millennium Development goals are to be delivered by 2015, Nick Clegg will need to urge the summit to agree a realistic plan to get them back on track.

 

"Every country must commit to meeting these agreed targets. From the Czech Republic to Bulgaria and beyond, our project teams are dealing with children and families whose lives would be vastly improved if the targets were met.

 

"Poverty is still one of the main reasons why children end up in institutions, because their families are unable to support and care for them. In other cases, disadvantaged groups are systematically institutionalised as a way of removing them from mainstream education.

 

"What most concerns us is that many countries will feel they have met the MDGs if they have managed to implement change for the majority of the population. This can mask the fact that certain populations are left behind - particularly children with disabilities and those from marginalised communities such as the Roma.

 

"The Deputy Prime Minister has stated that people 'need to bring more than words to the table in New York'. We wholeheartedly agree; it will be unacceptable to come away from the summit without a clear plan to achieve the goals by 2015. We encourage Nick Clegg to take a central role in steering this through."

 

How Lumos is encouraging countries to meet the MDGs:

 

Lumos is the charity founded and chaired by J. K. Rowling.  We are working to transform the lives of the 1 million children living in large, residential institutions and put an end to the systematic institutionalisation of children. To find out more about our work, visit www.lumos.org.uk.

 

Ends/...

 

For further information, please contact: Amy MacLaren at Colman Getty:

T: +44 (0)20 7631 2666 │ +44 (0)7980 843 088 │ E: amy@colmangetty.co.uk 

 

 Notes to Editors:

 

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of Lumos, may be available for interview. Please contact Colman Getty.

 

About Lumos

Lumos is a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children (registered charity number: 1112575). We want to end the systematic institutionalisation of disadvantaged children across Europe.

 

We want to see children living in safe, caring environments. We believe this should be the case for all children, whether they're disabled, from an ethnic minority or from an impoverished background. We know our vision is ambitious. We understand that removing children from institutions isn't - in itself - enough. We must work with governments, policy makers and practitioners to enable children to grow up in a family-type setting.

 

We do this in two ways:

 

  • By being practical and strategic

We have begun pilot initiatives in the Czech Republic and Moldova. We also provide technical assistance to initiatives in other countries that are led by other agencies, such as our work with UNICEF in Montenegro. And we provide a range of professional resources - a telephone support service, toolkits, manuals - to practitioners working in countries to help them close down institutions, and replace them with high quality care.

 

  • By campaigning and advocating

We provide expert advice at the highest level, including governments, United Nations bodies and European institutions. We facilitate peer-to-peer support, bringing together practitioners on the ground with practitioners in the UK to help give children childhoods. We work with children so they have a voice and are involved in the deinstitutionalisation process. We raise awareness, in the UK, in Europe and across the globe, so that, one day, children won't be locked away: so they can enjoy their childhood.

 

About our work

Lumos is currently working on major reform programmes in the Czech Republic and Moldova. 

 

The charity has been assisting the Czech government to develop a National Action Plan for the reform of all its services for vulnerable children and families.  It is now working in the county of Pardubice, helping the local authorities to transform all of their large residential institutions for children.  In Moldova, the charity is supporting the government and local authorities to implement large-scale de-institutionalisation programmes as well as an initiative aimed at significantly reducing infant mortality.

 

Lumos has also been providing advice and support to the European Commission in Brussels on the best way to use funding for reforming the child social protection system in Bulgaria.  We are now setting up a major programme in the country to help accelerate and improve the process of de-institutionalisation.

Posted by Sheerin Aswat | Live on Monday 20th of September 2010 11:54:08 AM
Tags : MDGs, Millenium Development Goals, 2015, Lumos, children, Nick Cleff, JK Rowling,

via colmangetty.co.uk

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