At the Caledonian Club in London on March 24th, former SIGBI (Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland) Federation President, Kate Fussell received The Lady of Substance Award, sponsored by The Lady Magazine and author Barbara Taylor Bradford.
The award was given in recognition for lifetime services to the community and doing inspirational and outstanding work in respect to women’s health, education and rights for women.
As a female consultant surgeon, Kate Fussell was one of only five in the UK. She has ceaselessly championed improved health for women throughout her working life and into her retirement.
During her career she was a pioneer into the research of breast cancer and the development of reconstructive surgery after mastectomy, she campaigned locally to establish a mammography unit. She has been influential in surgical education and helped to fund a health center in Africa, but no matter the health issue, her mantra has always been ” the patient comes first”
Since her retirement she has led a campaign to develop a service for people with osteoporosis, been a founder and trustee of a community centre in Wigan, a local champion for older people, and now in her 86th year she volunteers one day a week to help to preserve and transcribe the local borough archives in her local library.
She continues to raise funds for charities locally and over seas by being a Soroptimist, and is about to become a mentor to ‘A’ Level students at a Sixth Form College who have chosen medicine as their career.Whilst being Federation President she visited 14 of the 17 countries that are SIGBI. She is modest about her achievements, but for those who know her and have been helped by the differences she has made, Kate truly is a lady of substance.
At the event Miss Taylor Bradford also signed copies of her new novel “The Cavendon Women ” . An article about Kate will be in The Lady April 10th edition.
Post written by Cynthia Horrocks, President SI Wigan April 2015