At the Fareham & District Beekeepers Association AGM on 5th December, Penny Melville-Brown OBE was elected Chair of the Association. This is an historic event in British Beekeeping because Penny is totally blind.
Penny is a remarkable woman who has led a remarkable life. Having become the first woman barrister in the British Military she reached the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy, one of only 5 women to achieve that rank at the time.
The onset of visual impairment didn’t deter her, and she carried on in uniform, but instead of her Commander’s silver-topped cane she carried a white stick. Eventually her sight failed altogether, and she was medically discharged as a War Pensioner.
The day after leaving the Royal Navy she started work in the field of disability advocacy, going on to found her own company, Disability Dynamics Ltd that ran government and EU contracts helping hundreds of disabled people back to work for over 20 years. She held a number of senior public appointments including being a Board member of HMRC, Chair of the Learning and Skills Council, Chair of the War Pensions Commission, Board of 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, Adviser to the Cabinet Office, and more.
In recognition of her outstanding, ground-breaking work in the field of disability she was appointed OBE and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of London. She has been a keen cook and baker all her life and uses cooking to demonstrate that people with disabilities can lead useful productive lives despite the challenges they face. In 2017 she was a winner of the International Holman Prize which enabled her to take her ‘Baking Blind’ project on a tour of the world, cooking with professional chefs and home cooks on 6 continents. She made over 200 videos during the tour.
On returning to Europe, she was at her husband’s home in France looking for some French cooking opportunities when they were involved in a major head-on collision in which we both were seriously injured. Penny spent 6 weeks on a life support and 2 months in intensive care before she was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital for another 3 months where she had to learn to sit, stand and walk again.
Her book ‘Baking Blind Goes Global’ tells the fascinating story of her adventures and contains some fantastic recipes that she cooked in far flung places.
Penny continues with her disability advocacy including advising HMRC on their plans for digitisation of tax, on governance and strategy for a major national charity, giving talks and cooking demonstrations to local groups and national charities.
She is a polished, authoritative media performer and has been involved with BBC national and local Radio and TV on disability matters including, recently the campaign against closure of Rail Ticket Offices and the debate about assisted dying. Penny’s second book about the impact of disability on individuals, families, society and the economy is almost completed.
Whilst Penny doesn’t physically handle bees, she has accompanied her husband, Alan Baxter, closely in his beekeeping journey, studying all the Modules and preparing for exams and assessments. She is in charge of all the honey extraction and wax craftwork. Her lawyer’s brain absorbs information and knowledge like a sponge, she has a phenomenal memory and has acquired an impressive amount of knowledge about bees and beekeeping.
You can read from her website www.pennymelvillebrown.co.uk
This is proud moment in BBKA history, showing the world what an enlightened organisation we are in which equality and diversity are at the heart of our community and that disability is no barrier to success.
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