Patron: Baroness Floella Benjamin, OM, DBE, DL

‘This magnificent building is sitting unused but not unloved. I’m delighted to support the Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre in their campaign to reawaken it.’

Long standing Streatham resident, Baroness Floella Benjamin, OM, DBE, DL, was born in Trinidad and came to England as a Windrush child in 1960. Now a broadcaster, writer and politician, she rose to fame through her appearances in the iconic children’s programmes Playschool and PlayAway. In 1987 Floella set up her own television production company, producing hundreds of programmes. She works closely with charities for children and young people and has campaigned for high standards in children’s broadcasting as well as diversity in the creative industries. She has published over 30 books and her work has been recognised with numerous awards, including an OBE in 2001, a Special Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award in 2004 and the J.M Barrie Lifetime Award in 2012 for her lasting cultural legacy. In 2013 she was made a Fellow of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and in 2017 she was appointed as President of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She was the first woman Trinidadian to be elevated to the House of Lords in 2010 and speaks on children’s, diversity and media issues. In 2018 she was made a Freeman of the City of London.