Cllr Lurline Champagnie given OBE in New Year Honours (From Harrow Times)

Cllr Lurline Champagnie given OBE in New Year Honours

12:30am Thursday 31st December 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(2)

HARROW'S first black mayor has been given an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours.

Councillor Lurline Champagnie, who has served on Harrow Council since 1986, will receive the honour for her years of service to local government and for diversity.

The Pinner representative made history in 2004 when she was elected as mayor by her council colleagues, becoming the first black person to hold the post in the borough's history.

Born in Jamaica, Cllr Champagnie came to England in 1956 to train as a nurse, working as sister in charge of the burns and plastic surgery unit at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood and as a nurse specialist in breast care.

She made a debut speech at the Tory conference in 1982, declaring “I am Conservative, black and British, and I'm proud of all three”.

At the 1984 conference, Cllr Champagnie was caught up in the terrorist attacks on the Brighton hotel, and was on the scene to help treat some of the victims.

When elected to the council in 1986, she became the borough's first black councillor and has gone on to hold a wide variety of positions, including her current post as chairman of the licensing committee.

Cllr Champagnie is joined on the New Year Honours List by fellow Pinner resident Dr Michael Peter Briggs, the former pro-vice-chancellor of Roehampton University, who receives an OBE.

Stanmore resident Hemant Acharya, a government policy adviser at the Cabinet Office, and Donald Fava, from Pinner, a civil servant from the Department of Health, have both been given MBEs.

The recipients of this year's honours will receive them at a ceremony in the new year.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(2)