fi rst-person singular INDEX The IndexVIP*
Amanda Cottrell has been described as “The Big Society in one person”. She was recently included in the Independent on Sunday’s Happy List, which recognises 100 people “who do something special to make Britain a happier place to live”. Caroline Knight talks to her.
You’re not from Kent are you? Tell us about your background. I was born in 1941 at the beginning of World War II and spent the next few years in comparative safety in Wales, naturally picking up Welsh as my fi rst language. I come from the ancient Roman Catholic family of Howard and my father inherited a dilapidated castle and estate in the Lake District to which we moved in 1947. My brother continues to run the family home, to which I regularly return. The liberal party leader Joe Grimond was a close friend of my father and he persuaded my father to stand for Parliament, although he was eventually beaten by Sir Willie Whitelaw. My parents met at Oxford and I’m actually half American as my mother came from Virginia. I had a governess at home until I was 14, when I went to school in Switzerland and learnt those essential skills of skiing and French. I subsequently studied fi ne art at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London and eventually won a scholarship to study fi ne art in the US.
Who introduced you to Kent? Returning to London from America during the Sixties to work for Collins publishers, I met my late husband, Michael, who was a brewery and wine merchant and managing director of the Courage Brewery. We moved to Kent two years later, to Laurenden Forstal in Challock, and spent 20 years restoring the 14th century house.
Why do you love living here? In those days, Kent was a well-kept secret and there were no motorways. But the village was charming and I soon discovered the joys of this beautiful county, fi nding it surprisingly easy to put down new roots. On our 15 acres we raised pigs, sheep, chickens and cows, the latter of which I milked by hand. I farmed here for about 20 years and became virtually self-suffi cient. I’m now a passionate gardener and have a garden of about 3.5 acres. I love it. It’s a very special place. I have four children and nine grandchildren, all of which are a joy.
How did you enjoy being High Sheriff of Kent? In 2002 I was invited to become High Sheriff. You don’t get paid for the job – not even expenses. It takes four years from invitation to appointment and so in 2006 I stepped into a role which is the oldest secular offi ce under the Crown. The year in offi ce gave me a huge knowledge of Kent and an amazingly diverse carpet of associations. I carried out hundreds of offi cial engagements during the year and made contacts all over the county.
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How do you enjoy your role as head of Visit Kent? When my sheriff term ceased I became chairman of Visit Kent, an organisation funded by private sector investors. They invest in Visit Kent for us to promote Kent. So if we don’t deliver, the whole thing falls apart. We generate £3.2 billion per year for Kent’s economy and support some 3,000 small businesses. If I could have tailored my perfect job, it would have been this one.
Tell us about the links you have with the United States? My role as High Sheriff gave me a launch pad which enabled me to network in order to promote tourism. This brings me back to the story of my mother, who originated from Virginia. Kent now has a unique relationship with Virginia because I revealed an important link with the past. Sir Thomas Smythe who was Customs offi cer in the 16th century, residing at Westenhanger Castle, Hythe, commissioned three boats which eventually sailed from Kent in 1607 to Jamestown, Virginia. The occupants created the fi rst English speaking settlement in America, even preceding the Pilgrim Fathers. So if they hadn’t done this, the base language of the US could easily have been something other than English.
How have you forged Kent’s links with the US? Kent is in ‘high-level twinning’ which involves exchange visits by schools and universities, exchanges of trading and even a state visit in 2006. The Governor of Virginia made three replica ships to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of the occasion and there was an extremely moving re-enactment of the sailing. A replica of ‘Discovery’ was formally presented to Westenhanger Castle and is now on permanent display.
Why are you so passionate about food produced in Kent? I am patron of Produced in Kent and I travel all over the county in order to highlight the insanity of buying food from America or Spain when we have it here on our doorsteps. Produced In Kent is a runaway success and we even have an on-line food delivery service now, called Foodari. [
www.foodari.com].
What recent events in Kent have excited you? I’m really delighted by what’s happened to Kent over the past few years. Very recently, for example, we have seen the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery which has resulted in Margate being fl ooded with people, and then the British Open Golf Championship was held in Sandwich to great acclaim. This is a simply marvellous place. It is my life now. I am having a brilliant time and am very busy – I’m also excited to be celebrating my 70th birthday in September – held in Kent, of course!
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*Very Interesting Person
Amanda Cottrell
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