Baroness Lawrence attended a reception at Brunel University, London, yesterday in honour of the Caribbean Women’s Standing Conference (CWSC), of which she is Patron.
The reception, part of the University's Black History Month celebrations, was held at the School of Health Sciences and Social Care to thank the CWSC for its long-standing support of Brunel, including funding annual prizes to outstanding students in the field of social care.
Head of School, Professor Lorraine De Souza, said: “These awards are funded by generous donations from members of standing conference and we are hugely grateful for their support.”
Doreen Lawrence, the mother of Stephen Lawrence, murdered 20 years ago in a racist attack in South London, received an OBE for her campaigning work. She is patron of Stop Hate UK and a board member of Liberty, the human rights organisation.
The event was also attended by Lady Caroline Bowes-Lyon, a Patron of the Standing Conference along with the organisation’s founder, Linda Haye, the first black women to be appointed to the Police Complaints Authority full-time.
Brunel student Andrea Stennett, who is studying for a PhD in Physiotherapy, spoke at the event on her research with multiple sclerosis patients along with Dr Jean Clarke, Lecturer in Social Work.
The reception was held in the School’s Mary Seacole Building, named after the Jamaican-born nurse who cared for soldiers during the Crimean War.