Honorary fellows: 2012
Honorary fellowships were conferred on the following people in the July and November ceremonies of 2012.
July ceremonies
Anne Pierson
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the arts and creative writing (awarded July 2012).
Anne Pierson was born into a Yorkshire mining family and left school at 15 with no qualifications. After studying for A and O-Levels in the evening she trained to be a teacher and taught at secondary schools in Manchester and East London. After a year at Central School of Speech and Drama she became Assistant Director at Stockton-On-Tees Arts Centre, joining the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal in 1977. On the verge of bankruptcy, Anne developed the Brewery into a leading arts centre, culminating in a new £3m theatre and cinema. The Anne Pierson Young Cumbrian Writers Award was established in her honour, uncovering exceptional talent in the regions schools and colleges. More recently, she wrote the play for a comedy, performed at Theatre by the Lake, and has acted as Voluntary Acting Director of Fairfield Mill Arts and Heritage Centre, Sedbergh, developing a centre of excellence of textiles and residencies.
Centre, Sedbergh, developing a centre of excellence of textiles and residencies.
John Myers
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the radio industry (awarded July 2012). DECEASED 01 JUNE 2019.
Born in Carlisle in 1959, Myers started his radio career in 1980 at BBC Radio Cumbria before developing the national radio brands for Border Television in the early 90s. A respected presenter and producer, John led a number of companies while broadcasting under the pseudonym "John Morgan". He became Chief Executive of GMG Radio, developing the Real, Smooth and Rock Radio brands and overseeing other GMG Radio acquisitions. In 2009, he was asked by the Labour Government to produce a report on the future of local radio in the UK ("The Myers Report”), and in 2011 reviewed efficiencies at four BBC radio stations before working with Tynwald in the IOM and a number of world-wide radio groups. John later took on the role of CEO and Chairman of The Radio Academy alongside chairing The Radio Festival and The Sony Radio Academy Awards. Today, he is a consultant to a group of global companies, working on strategy and development. He’s a director of the Entrepreneurs Forum, an established after dinner speaker in Leadership management and Chairman of Myers Media.
He has won a number of awards over the years, perhaps proudest of the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Commercial Radio Industry and being named as one of just 40 people who helped change the future of radio.
http://myersmedia.co.uk/john-myers/
David Gould
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the campaign for peace and community cohesion (awarded July 2012).
After the London bombings in 2005, David Gould joined ‘Multicultural Carlisle’, celebrating the cultural diversity in Carlisle and raising awareness of multiculturalism and integration. David was Chair for two years; seeing isolated minority ethnic communities gain confidence to express themselves and their culture with pride. In 2011, David proposed a Multicultural Centre; breaking down the isolation experienced due cultural barriers. In Human Rights Work he supports the Amnesty International’s ‘Candle of Hope’ at Carlisle Cathedral. He organised a visit from the Indonesian Double Gamelan Orchestra at an Interfaith event. He was active in Peace work visiting local schools to promote non-violence, community cohesion and interfaith understanding.
He helped to form an Interfaith Forum here in Carlisle. Wider afield he has worked with the Warrington Peace Centre and joined in their Conflict Resolution work between former combatants in Northern Ireland. Moving to the Midlands in 2014 he served three years as chair of U3A (a self-help shared learning organisation for pensioners). He was voted onto the PCC at church and is now a Churchwarden.
He also joined Sanctus St Marks, an organisation that looks after the welfare of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Stoke-on-Trent where he became the Volunteer Case-Work Coordinator, a role that combined his Social Work background with his Theological Training and his Counselling Skills. He calls this ‘Social Work with prayer’ in an Interfaith setting. His home is an emergency placement for those needing protective support. He now prepares Sermons and Bible Teaching courses in two churches.
Stephen Borthwick
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the world of rugby union football. (awarded July 2012).
Steve was born in Carlisle in 1979 and lived in the city until the age of 10 when his family moved to Preston. He was captain of the Hutton Grammar School Rugby team and during a degree from the University of Bath in Economics and Politics joined Bath rugby club in 1998.
At Bath he played 246 senior games over the next ten years, captained at 21, before joining the Saracens in 2008. Steve gained 57 Test caps for England, touring North America, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. He was part of the England squad that finished runners-up to South Africa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Between 2008 and 2010, Steve captained the England team on 21 occasions.
Steve coached Japan at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and then became Coaching Coordinator and Forwards Coach of the England rugby team from 2015 until 2020, during which time England finished Runners-Up at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
From 2020, Steve has been Head Coach of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club.
Professor Graham Upton DL
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education and to the University of Cumbria. (awarded July 2012)
Graham Upton was born in Birmingham and was educated in Australia, where he taught in secondary and special schools before moving back to the UK in 1972. He worked in Leeds Polytechnic and the University of Wales before moving to the University of Birmingham where he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Special Educational Needs and Educational Psychology. In September 1997, he took up the post of Vice-Chancellor at Oxford Brookes University which he held until he retired in August 2007. From 21 May 2010 until July 2011, Professor Upton was Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cumbria. Since then, he has served as Interim Vice Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndŵr University, Birmingham City University, Bangor University and SOAS London. He is a former Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. He is married to Bebe Speed.
Professor Shirley Reveley
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing and the establishment of the nurse practitioner programme and service. (awarded July 2012)
Shirley trained as, midwife and health visitor and entered higher education in 1986 as a Nurse Teacher and Health Visitor Tutor. After a degree at The Open University and an MA and PhD at the University of Lancaster, Shirley worked at St Martin’s College from1992 -2005, becoming Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery. She established the first nurse practitioner service in Cumbria, co-published two text books and several articles before being invited to take up a Visiting Professorship at the University of Skovde in Sweden.
In 2005 Shirley became the Director of Nursing at The Open University and its first Professor of Nursing. In 2007 she was promoted to the post of Dean in the Open University’s Faculty of Health and Social Care, before retiring in 2010 as an Emeritus Professor. Since retiring from the open University Shirley has been a non-Executive Director at Cumbria PCT, NCUHT and Chair of Cumbria Health on Call, and Associate Consultant at the Royal College of Nursing.
She is currently a Trustee of Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland.
Paul Rose
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the understanding of the natural world, the challenges of scientific research and his broadcasting work. (awarded July 2012)
Born in Elm Park, east London, Rose’s first job was at 16 in the Ford motor plant in Dagenham. In 1974 he moved to America and qualified as a mountaineer, diver, polar guide and yacht skipper. He ran the US Navy diver training programme at Naval Station Great Lakes and trained divers in the police, fire department and underwater recovery teams.
He returned to Britain in 1988 and has been a mountain and polar guide, led expeditions across the ice-cap in Greenland, and provided logistics support for polar science expeditions. He was base commander of Rothera Research Station, Antarctica, for the British Antarctic Survey for 10 years until 2002, for which he was awarded the Queen’s Polar Medal. He received the US Polar Medal for his work with Nasa and the Mars Lander project, which involved climbing Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s most active volcano. Paul lives beside Windermere in the Lake District.