By Thomas Keaney, CEO and Founder of TCES
It is with enormous sadness that I share the news that our Patron and dear friend, Dame Esther Rantzen, has passed away.
I first met Esther when she came to open our East London school following its refurbishment in 2018. She was already a hero of mine. Through founding Childline in 1986, she had created an extraordinary legacy of protecting children and making sure that those who felt unheard had somewhere to turn.
What struck me when I met her was that the compassion and determination the public saw throughout her life were absolutely genuine. She cared deeply about children and young people, particularly those who were vulnerable, overlooked or struggling to have their voices heard.
Dame Esther subsequently agreed to become Patron of TCES in 2019, and it was an enormous privilege to have her support. She championed our children and young people with SEND and neurodivergent identities and supported our belief that no child should ever be written off because their journey through education has been difficult.
Of all the things we talked about, I think the part of TCES that resonated particularly strongly with Esther was our commitment to “Never Give Up.” It is difficult to imagine anyone who embodied those words more completely. Her determination to establish Childline, and the countless children whose lives have been changed or protected because she refused to give up on that idea, are testament to what those three words can mean.
That makes it especially poignant that our new TCES North West London College in West Ealing has been named the Dame Esther Rantzen Campus. We were delighted and incredibly proud to name the campus in her honour. It will provide specialist technical and vocational education for young people with SEND, helping them develop their talents, independence and confidence as they prepare for adulthood.
I can think of few more appropriate ways for us to celebrate Esther’s relationship with TCES. Long after today, young people will arrive at a campus bearing her name and be surrounded by people who believe in their potential and refuse to give up on them.
Dame Esther’s legacy is, of course, immeasurably greater than any building bearing her name. It lives in the thousands upon thousands of children she helped to protect through Childline, in the causes she championed throughout her life, and in the people she inspired to listen to children and take their experiences seriously.
But for all of us at TCES, the Dame Esther Rantzen Campus will provide a very special and permanent reminder of our Patron, our supporter and our friend.
We will miss Dame Esther greatly. On behalf of everyone across TCES, I send my deepest sympathies to her family, friends and all those who loved her.
We will remember her with enormous affection and gratitude, and we will continue to honour the message she so strongly supported: Never Give Up.
