To celebrate their artistic contributions, the following were granted honorary fellowships by our Institute of the Arts.
Pre-2009
November 2007
The Right Honourable Baroness Estelle Morris (of Yardley)
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to education in the United Kingdom. (awarded 2007)
Estelle Morris was born in Manchester into a political family. She is a graduate of the Coventry College of Education, where she gained a BEd in 1974. Morris was a humanities teacher at the inner-city Sidney Stringer School in Coventry from 1974–92, becoming Head of Sixth Form Studies and a member of Warwick District Council from 1979 to 1991. Morris was elected to Parliament in 1992 for Birmingham Yardley. She became a minister in the Department for Education and Employment in 1997 and was promoted to Secretary for State for Education and Skills in 2001. She was the first former comprehensive schoolteacher to have the position. She resigned her post in October 2002. She rejoined the Government in 2003 as Minister for the Arts in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She stepped down as a Member of Parliament at the 2005 general election and in the same year was created a life peer and conferred as Baroness Morris of Yardley, in the County of West Midlands. Between 2005 and 2009, she was Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland. Between 2005 and 2008 she was Chair of the Children’s Workforce Development Council, and from 2007 to its closure in 2020 was Chair of the Executive Group of the Institute for Effective Education. From September 2005 until August 2018, she was a member of the Council of Goldsmiths, University of London, and Chair until August 2018. She also Chairs the Birmingham Education Partnership. She has been a trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the National Children’s Bureau, and the National Coal-mining Museum. She is currently a trustee of the Sunderland Football Club Foundation, the medical charity, APSUK and the Royal Institution.
Mr Edwin Booth CBE DL
In recognition of his outstanding and lifelong contribution to business in the North West and for his outstanding commitment to supporting local & regional suppliers in the food industry (awarded November 2007)
Edwin Booth is the Executive Chairman of E H Booth & Co Ltd the proprietors of Booths Food Stores in the North of England. He represents the fifth generation of the family that has operated Booths since 1847. Edwin entered the business immediately after school and quickly discovered an enthusiasm for retailing. The procurement of wine became his speciality for many years, enabling Booths to gain national recognition for this important area of the business. Subsequently he developed a successful marketing function prior to becoming Executive Chairman in 1997. While promoting the business’s reputation for excellent service and goods he worked to create an organisation with strong sustainability credentials and a focus on locally sourced food and drink. Edwin became an HRH the Prince of Wales Business Ambassador for the North West in 2005 and was finalist for the Ernst & Young - Master Entrepreneur of the Year (North) award. He has also been awarded the Institute of Directors Director of the Year for Lancashire and the North West and been recognised for his business pursuits by the North West Society of Chartered Accountants and as the Lancastrian of the Year in the Be Inspired Business Awards 2009. In 2010 Edwin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Lancaster University for his services to the region and his industry. Edwin has worked with the Lancashire Universities in the areas of leadership and business change programs. He chaired the Business in the Community (BITC) Advisory Board for the North West from 2007 to 2014 and was instrumental in developing a program to engage schools with business. He is Chairman of the Harris Charity (Preston) which was co-founded by his forebear Edwin Henry Booth and was a founding trustee of the Prince’s Countryside Fund. In June 2011 he was appointed Chair of the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership), a post he held for over 7 years and through which he and the board positioned Lancashire as one of the highest performing LEPs in the country. In 2019 Edwin was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Her Majesty’s New Year Honours list for services to business and charity. He has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire since 2005. In 2021/21 Edwin was appointed the High Sheriff of Lancashire and formed an Employment Advisory Board at HMP Lancaster Farms which he chairs. He worked with the Community Foundation for Lancashire to found a business support arm – Lancashire Investors in Community for which Edwin performs an ambassadorial role. Edwin’s personal interests are wide and varied. He enjoys classical music and maintains his physical fitness through cycling, walking, skiing and playing tennis. Edwin and his wife Anne have two daughters who share his enthusiasm for good food and wine!
Professor David Vaughan
In recognition of his contribution to Art and Design education and higher education nationally and for major contributions to higher education and Arts education in the North-West and in Cumbria in particular. (awarded November 2007)
David was Principal and Chief Executive of Cumbria Institute of the Arts (CIA) from 1991, retiring in 2007 upon the successful creation of the University of Cumbria. He Studied at the Central School of Art and Design, London; then at Bath Academy of Art. Held teaching and senior management roles at Universities in Lancaster, Liverpool, Brighton and Sheffield and was Associate Registrar at the Council for National Academic Awards, later undertaking QAA quality reviews. Director and Vice-Chair of UCAS until 2009 – also co-chairing Government established Delivery Partnership making significant changes to UCAS application procedures; Vice-Chair of GuildHE until 2007; first Chair of Higher Education Academy – Art Design Media Subject Centre, 1999 to 2007. Established the Group for Learning in Art and Design (GLADHE) - UK wide HE learning and teaching forum - in 1989, being Chair until 2007. Chaired the Higher Education Art and Design Trust 1996 to 2005, now co-chairing and leading the HEAD Trust Project - supporting advocacy of Creative Arts in Schools to HE. Chaired the CHEAD Subject Associations Alliance until 2019. Locally - Chair of Governors of Shankhill School 2005 to 2012 and Vice-Chair since; Governor at both Richard Rose Central and Morton Academies being Chair at the later. Was a Non-Executive Director of Milan based HEP - Istituto Marangoni London until 2022 and now Visiting Professor; is an Advisor to Futureworks HEP in Manchester; continues as PhD External Examiner at various Universities.
Professor Mick Waters
In recognition of his contribution to education nationally. (awarded November 2007)
Mick Waters works with the schools in UK and abroad. Mick was a teacher and head teacher before working at senior levels in Birmingham and Manchester Local Authorities. He worked at a national level with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority where he was Director of Curriculum. He has worked in many countries with national governments or directly with schools on policy and practice for leadership, governance and classroom teaching. Lately, Mick has worked at national policy level with the Welsh Government. Mick chaired an Independent Review of School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions for the Welsh Government which followed on from helping to produce new Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership. He has also carried out a review on the induction of newly qualified teachers and how best to support their professional learning. Most recently, Mick has provided a government review on preparation for headship called ‘Learning to be a headteacher for Wales’. He has written and contributed to many books on the curriculum, teaching and learning and leadership, and spoken at numerous national and international conferences. In 2022 Mick published three books, all in collaboration with others. His book, written with Tim Brighouse and called ‘About Our Schools’, charts school policy over fifty years. ‘The Curious Curriculum’, written with Claire Banks, tells the story of curriculum and teaching development in a group of schools over five years. Mick also contributed to a book edited by Bridget Knight called ‘On the subject of values and the value of subjects’.
November 2006
Professor Conrad Atkinson OBE
(November 2006 Cumbria Institute of the Arts)
In recognition of his valuable contribution in the field of art and education in Cumbria and in the wider world.
Born in Cleator Moor in West Cumbria, Conrad Atkinson studied at the Brampton Road campus from 1957-1961 when it was known as Carlisle College of Art. He is today an artist of international standing. Conrad has been a distinguished visiting professor at many of the major arts schools and universities throughout the world. Professor Atkinson has exhibited at major galleries throughout Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and Russia and is represented in many public and private collections throughout the world. Although Conrad splits his time between his studios in California, New York and Cumbria he has never distanced himself from his birthplace, Cumbria, its people and issues.
In recognition of his significant contribution to Cumbria Institute of the Arts and service as Chair of Governors.
Deceased July 2009.
Ed Hill
(November 2005 Cumbria Institute of the Arts)
In recognition of his contribution to the development of Cumbria Institute of the Arts and service as Deputy Chair of Governors.
Ed started his working life in the Royal Navy then changed career to work as an architect and managing partner with the Building Design Partnership. Ed served on the Board of Governors of Cumbria Institute of the Arts from 1990 until he retired in 2004 and played a key role in its development. Ed worked closely with the senior management and other governors to establish the campus at Brampton Road with the best industry standard resources and inspiring workspaces. Ed remains a key advocate and supporter of the University of Cumbria.
Deceased 2018.
Miss Mary Burkett OBE
(November 2005 Cumbria Institute of the Arts) (1924 - 12 November 2014)
In recognition of her valuable contribution in the field of art and education in Cumbria and in the wider world.
Mary Burkett is well known throughout Cumbria as an educator, aesthete, art historian and champion of the arts. She has devoted her working life to raising investment, awareness and participation in the arts and has made a significant and lasting contribution to the arts in Cumbria. From 1967 to 1986 Mary Burkett held the role of Director of Abbot Hall Art Gallery and the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry in Kendal. Mary is an accomplished author of a large volume of important works of art history and has researched and published monographs on several, previously little known, local artists. In 2012 Dear Mary, Love Percy, (the letters of Percy Kelly) written by Mary Burkett and David Cross, took joint first prize in the Cumbria and Lakeland Book of the Year award.
November 2004
John Fox MBE
In recognition of his significant contribution in the fields of media and culture in Cumbria and in the wider world (awarded November 2004, Cumbria Institute of the Arts).
World-wide reputation for creating celebratory participatory art with communities, site specific theatre and fire-shows. Artist, poet, lecturer, cultural provocateur and occasional musician. Founded legendary Welfare State International (WSI) with Sue Gill and others. WSI (1968-2006) raised the Titanic in Limehouse, moved the Trident Submarine Sheds in Barrow and championed Lanternhouse £2.4m Arts Centre in Ulverston, where in 1983 they originated the annual Lantern Parade, which continues and been copied around the world.
After archiving WSI in 2006 Fox and Gill started Dead Good Guides to create ecological sculpture trails, secular ceremonies and celebrant training for rites of passage. Recent work:“On The Edge Of A Rising Tide” a processional fable (with Sound Intervention). “Fishing Hut” a travelling exhibition (with Hannah Fox) and “Wildernest” devotional sanctuary garden by Morecambe Bay. The “Linocut Triptych” is a permanent installation in the Trinity Conference Enterprise Centre in Barrow.
John Fox, Honorary Fellow of UCLan and Companion of LIPA, has gained numerous awards including an MBE in 2012. In 2017 he and Sue Gill received the Cumbria Life| Mary Burkett Award for their Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Cumbria. In 2021 the Wellcome Trust awarded the Theatre Collection at Bristol University £280,000 to preserve and catalogue their archive.
Publications: “Eyes on Stalks” Methuen 2002, “Engineers of the Imagination” Methuen 1983/1990 and (with Sue Gill) “The Dead Good Guides”. Books of poetry: “Ground” 1998, “You Never Know” 2011. “The Rain Days” 2021,”Eighty-Something a lifetime of conversation” (with Sue Gill) and forthcoming “Occasional Remedies” 2023. 2024 These books and “Foxy’s Song Book” 2021 are available via Paypal, on www.deadgoodguides.co.uk
Sue Gill
(November 2004 Cumbria Institute of the Arts)
In recognition of her significant contribution in the fields of media and culture in Cumbria and in the wider world.
Sue Gill has a lifelong commitment to education and began her professional life as Headteacher in remote rural primary schools. Sue is co-founder of Welfare State International and coordinated its education and training programme, leading summer schools and workshops on Celebratory Theatre in the UK, Denmark, Portugal, Australia, Canada and the USA. She was Course Leader for the innovative MA in Cultural Performance in partnership with the University of Bristol Department of Theatre Studies concluding in 2006. The Wellcome Trust gave generous funding to digitise and catalogue the WSI archive housed at the Theatre Collection. Sue is an Independent Secular Celebrant creating bespoke ceremonies to mark birth, marriage, and death. Along with Gilly Adams she currently runs their annual UK programme of Rites of Passage residential workshops. She is co-author, with John Fox, of Dead Good Guides publications. In 2017 she and John Fox received the Cumbria Life Special Award: The Mary Burkett Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Cumbria. In 2019 Sue was awarded Companionship to LIPA Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. In 2021 she published her memoir In all My Born Days (ISBN 978-0-9568583-7-5) illustrated with John Fox’s woodcuts. Sue Gill & John Fox were commissioned by LEEDS 2023 to collaborate on a new book Eighty-Something a lifetime of conversation [ ISBN 978-0-9568583-4-4] for 1001 STORIES Takeover of Leeds Playhouse.
In recognition of his significant contribution to the work of the Institute and in the wider world in the fields of media and culture.
Deceased April 2004
Eric Robson OBE DL
(November 2003 Cumbria Institute of the Arts)
In recognition of his significant contribution to the work of the Institute and in the wider world in the fields of media and culture (awarded November 2003, Cumbria Institute of the Arts).
Eric Robson began his television career as a writer and broadcaster with Border Television in Carlisle. Eric has been freelance for more than forty years presenting, producing and directing programmes for all the major UK networks. Until 2019 Eric was chairman of BBC Radio 4’s “Gardeners’ Question Time”, a position he held for 30 years. His books include “Great Railway Journeys of the World” and “After Wainwright” - the journal of a 190-mile adventure through the mountains of remote Lakeland. He is President of Cumbria Tourism, Chairman of The Wainwright Society and a Deputy Lieutenant for Cumbria.
In recognition of his significant contribution to the development of Cumbria Institute of the Arts over a period of 28 years.
In 1979 there were only 127 full time FE students and myriad part time. Peter newly appointed and Principal Adrian Turner, established an excellent working partnership, quickly recognising what needed to be achieved if the college was to establish a national status as a College of Art and Design and establish a development plan.
Peter now Vice Principal, was well qualified to achieve this aim made significant impact on the growth of the FE programmes from National Diplomas and HND with support and the cooperation of the staff. We were very successful in obtaining all our new HNDs, which later enabled UCL to validate as our degree courses. This was further enhanced by a major grant for computer hardware and software and access to HEFC networks. At this time, we were funded as the leading member of European multimedia project which gave us a share two million pounds, with access to several EU countries for recruitment. Peter initially set this up staff student exchange with Urbino in Italy it proved very successful. Peters’ grand finale was overseeing the new building redevelopment over four phases 1998 to 2002. He was in charge of the planning, purchase of equipment and design liaison for a project that involved courses decanting between four sites. The importance of teamwork at all levels cannot be undervalued. With grants and discounts the costs were approximately 12 million. When Peter retired in August 2002 there were 1200 full time and part time degree students all making a significant impact to the local and national economy. From 2002, Peter spent 12 years as a JP on the Carlisle Bench.
Adrian Turner
(November 2002 Cumbria Institute of the Arts)
In recognition of his contribution to the development of Cumbria College of Art and Design and the support he has given to the Institution since that time. (Principal 1976-1991)
