Speaker Lesley Niven

Stirling Rotary meeting 26.2.16

Senior Vice President Alan Rankin welcomed members, together with visitor and speaker Lesley Niven, President of the Inner Wheel of Stirling. The next Rotary council meeting is on March 7th.  More helpers are needed for the Schools Quiz, which takes place on the 19th. of March.  Martin Ross announced that Megan Firth from Wallace High School has been selected as our RYLA candidate for 2016.  RYLA stands for Rotary Young Leadership Award.

Lesley then began by stating that she sympathised with people who said public speaking was “worse than dying” but quickly demonstrated that, in her case, any such worries had been firmly consigned to the past.  Born in Scotland, Leslie met her future husband Keith during their gap year.  They both loved Scotland dearly but did not appreciate the midges, short summers and shorter, dark winter days.  These considerations, as well as work, took the couple to the South East, where Lesley worked in life insurance, locally in Sussex and her husband commuted to the City.  She acquired a keen interest in politics and stood for the local council in 1991. When Keith found a flat in London, she joined Conservative Central Office, when it was still located in Smith Square. 

In due course, a vacancy occurred in the political office at No. 10, which she accepted.  Duties were many and varied but included preparing paperwork to go to the national archives in 1996, preparatory to John Major leaving office in 1997.  She also supported the PM’s speech writers, which included the current chancellor. She was deeply involved in the process of the Majors moving out and the Blairs moving in, which was unavoidably brutal, with one despondent team literally still moving out as the other jubilant group came through the door.

Having met William Hague at a conference, she accepted a permanent post, assisting him at Central Office.  Activities included helping with conference admin. and running the selection process for candidates.  She left in late 2000, but then returned to Mr. Hague’s office for the 2001 general election campaign. Subsequently, she worked at Portcullis House with Sebastian, now Lord Coe, sitting on post-election panels for candidates.

Retiring to Scotland, she became and remains a trustee of the Phoenix Stroke Club, promoting healthy living and organising a club for sufferers and carers, four days a week.  People in Scotland experience strokes at a much earlier age than those in Sussex and this has to change. The Vote of Thanks was given by Tommy Thomson and well supported.  This week’s Speakers Host is Ranald Ross-Watt, with Visitors Host Ian Richardson.

Ranald Ross-Watt
Communications Convener