Music PR

Shirley Oaks Survivors Association stand strong at media launch today

MUSIC INDUSTRY MOGULS JOIN FORCES WITH CHILD ABUSE SURVIVORS TO BRING JUSTICE IN TRAILBLAZING NEW SINGLE

You Tube link https://youtu.be/YtonOmIvS_I

LONDON, 9^th December 2015: The survivors of one of the world’s most horrific cases of child abuse have joined forces with music industry establishment to create a powerful new music video as part of a groundbreaking campaign that is hoped will encourage more witnesses to come forward so that justice can be brought to the hundreds of victims and a 100 year restriction order on the victim’s files can be lifted. The track, entitled “Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine” will enter the Christmas charts when released on iTunes on Friday 11^th December and the video will go live on YouTube from today.

Written by music magnate and founder of the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association (SOSA), Raymond Stevenson who discovered Jessie J when she was 15 and was himself physically abused at Shirley Oaks¹, with input and melodies by X Factor / Alien Uncovered star, Temple Praise, the track features haunting testimonies from the victims and expresses the fear and horror suffered by vulnerable young children during decades of abuse at Shirley Oaks through the medium of dance. Directed by Giles Borg (Flutter, 1234, Home) and choreographed by Ryan Jenkins, one of the UK’s most sought after choreographers, the vocals are by girl group Ether Mia who were selected based on their suitability to understand the subject matter and to empathise with the victims. All funds raised from the single will go towards helping SOSA track down victims from across the UK and around the world.

The already high profile campaign has attracted the attention and support of MP Chuka Umunna, Labour MP for Streatham, who has publically called for a reinvestigation into the case stating that: “By the police’s own admission, previous investigations were ‘of the time’ and did not meet the standards we would apply today. The police owe it to the survivors group to reopen the investigation”. The campaign is also backed by former senior detective Clive Driscoll who said: “The people that matter in this are the people who were in the care system at the time and a reinvestigation will mean we can try and deliver the truth”.

Raymond Stevenson², SOSA founder, said: “I have spearheaded many campaigns and they have always been motivated by personal circumstances and issues that blight communities. Maybe because I survived the hell of Shirley Oaks I believe it’s my duty to help others. I say this not just because I was a victim but because there can be no greater crime levied at humanity than paedophillia. Then add to that these were abandoned children in the state’s care, already unloved and frightened, some already victims and others whose parents had died. Then add the lies, the cover-up, the conspiracy and now we learn that this could have all been prevented. This video will enable victims to tell their story through a medium that cannot be tampered with or edited. The chorus in the song simply says, ‘you don’t know what they done to me’. The video will show the fear horror and abuse through art. A line in the song that asks the question, ‘what happens if it was your child?”

Chair of SOSA, Alex Wheatle MBE, himself a victim of abuse at Shirley Oaks added: “We, the Shirley Oaks Survivors, are proud to launch this music video and hope that it will encourage more witnesses to feel they can come forward and speak out.”

Shirley Oaks, at the time the largest children’s home in the world, has been named as one of 20 children’s homes in the Lambeth borough to be investigated as part of The Goddard Inquiry³, the biggest ever public inquiry into cases of child sexual abuse by public and private institutions in England and Wales. Justice Lowell Goddard announced³ that the investigation, which is expected to last five years, will examine claims, counter claims, conspiracies and cover ups, scrutinising former and current MPs, advisors, civil servants and the security services.

Amongst the alleged abusers are Jimmy Savile, as well as former Lambeth Labour councilors, Toren Smith and Susan Smith, who have been convicted. There have been two major police investigations into abuse at children’s homes in South London and a total of three people have been convicted of offences; one relating to Shirley Oaks, swimming instructor, William Hook, and the remaining two including Michael John Carroll who ran Angell Road children’s home and Les Paul from South Vale Children’s Home.

SOSA is demanding answers for one very specific matter – the sudden death of 15-year old Peter Davis in 1977, found hanged in a toilet with a cord around his neck. Following signs of sexual acitivy, a coroner ruled “death by misadventure“, but friends who grew up with him believe he was the target of paedophiles. Peter was the chief witness in a rape trial at the Old Bailey two years before he died where he gave evidence in regard to both his and his sibling’s rape. When the BBC looked for court documents from the time, they found that in 2003 they had been made secret for 100 years.

Singers for the “Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine” campaign include 23 year old Millie from Essex, 21 year old Sophie from West Sussex and 21 year old Royal Opera House ballet dancer, Lucy from Stoke. The group known as ETHERMIA were selected based on their suitability to understand the subject matter and to empathise with the victims. When Urban Concepts⁴ played the track, the girls burst into tears and demanded to be part of the project. Taking their roles as ambassadors for victims seriously, the girls did their own research and went to Shirley Oaks and also accompanied the victims as they made a presentation to Lambeth council.

Principal crew for the music video will include: director, Giles Borg (Flutter, 1234, Home) with over twenty years of experience in music, film and television directing music videos, full length feature films, commercials and TV programmes; Jospeh Crone, a multi-talented fashion stylist and costume designer with a diverse list of clients and credits in the music, commercial and film sectors of the industry, from James Blunt to Dizzee Rascal, Investec to Innocent; and Ryan Jenkins, one of the UK’s most sought after choreographers, recently appointed creative director by UK government to represent and create work for Great Britain National day at Milan Expo 2015.

Lambeth Council is supporting the Shirley Oaks Survivors’ Association in their campaign to identify further victims and offer counselling to those who have not already received it but feel they would now benefit.

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“Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine” is available on iTunes for pre-order now at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/dont-touch-it.-its-mine-feat./id1063779915?at=1l3voFY&app=itunes

Join in the conversation @ShirleyOaksSA / #ShirleyOaks

Media information:

For all media requests, images and interviews please contact Connor PR.

Notes to Editors

1 – Shirley Oaks Children’s Home

Shirley Oaks children’s home was based in Croydon, Surrey on a 70 acre site with 52 houses which catered between 8-14 children. Complete with its own school, swimming pool, works depot and a doctor’s surgery it was the only world most of the children would know. It opened in 1904 to glowing reports with the Southwark Annual stating how Shirley Oaks was a model village created for children whose parents had died or were unable to look after them. The mission statement was to train the children in a career away from the physical disadvantage of the crowded districts and also from the morally injurious influences which are powerfully demonstrated in the streets of the great metropolis. Tens of thousands of children passed through the gates of Shirley Oaks. For most vulnerable children aged between 2 -10 years, it was easy to believe they had been sent to an outpost of heaven. Lush green fields surrounded the village style setting with houses branching off the enclosed ring road which would end up being a road paved to hell. Sadly for most of the children they would

have been better off to fend for themselves on the streets than being left in the hands of the state controlled children’s homes.

2 – Raymond Stevenson and Shirley Oaks Survivors Association

Raymond Stevenson attended Shirley Oaks from 1967 – 1978. At 13 years old he was kicked out of Shirley Oaks and was sent to a boarding school in Surrey. Away from the cold, harsh environment he flourished and pursued the one good thing he remembered from the home which were the acting and dancing classes. From here, he attended the Laban Dance Centre and then won a scholarship at The Rambert School of Ballet. At 26 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. After this he started a production company with his business

partner Lucia Hinton and staged concerts and ran their own nightclub. Around the same time he developed artists such as Jessie J and produced various government funded campaigned centred around the issues of gun and knife crime. Having spent a lifetime trying to forget the physical abuse he suffered growing up in the home, Raymond was forced to relive the nightmare when he received a phone call from a person who was in the same children’s home as him. This was the first time Raymond learned about the horror that had taken place at Shirley Oaks and the allegations that many of the houses on the site were run by paedophiles. Joining forces with Alex Wheatle, who also attended the home, themselves and other victims formed the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association. The first demand from the SOSA was that Lambeth council allow all their members and any other children who were in homes in south London to access their files. Reading his own file, Raymond released that along with the beatings and being drugged, the psychological trauma had impacted his life to the detriment. But as he conducted more interviews, he soon realised that his strife was nothing compared to many of his friends who suffered in silence and said nothing even when they played outside together. There

were good house parents but they were few and far between and Raymond discovered after speaking to his favourite house parents that those who questioned Lambeth’s failings were quickly moved on.

3 – The Goddard Inquiry

On Friday 27^th November 2015, Justice, Lowell Goddard announced that Shirley Oaks, which was run by Lambeth council in South London, will be one of the cases of child sexual abuse to be investigated as part of the biggest public inquiry into criminality and corruption by public and private institutions in England and Wales. The New Zealand judge, appointed to run the long-awaited independent inquiry into child abuse within state and non-state institutions, has vowed that no individual or institution however powerful will be able to obstruct her investigations. The monarchy, government, politicians, church leaders, schools, hospitals and the media will all be examined. Insurance companies which deny victims the truth to prevent compensation payouts, and internet providers who fail to tackle online abuse, will also be investigated. Full statement is online at www.IICSa.org.uk

4 – Urban Concepts:

As well as running a successful artist management company, 141a Management Raymond and Lucia combine their efforts to run the highly acclaimed Urban Concepts. They do this “because we feel it is part of our responsibility to be part of the solution in addressing social issues.” They have devised anti-gun and anti-knife campaigns: “Don’t Trigger” and “One Knife Can Take A Life”, which were funded by the Home Office, with media partners The Mirror and MTV. The success of these two campaigns resulted in an invitation to Number 10 Downing Street to meet Tony Blair and to New York to meet Mayor Bloomberg where we discussed the issues of gun crime in the ghettos of New York. As with all Urban Concepts projects before we deliver a campaign strategy we spend months investigating the central issues. The next stage is to find a narrative that will be a vechile for reaching the widest possible audience, in this case this included writing the

song and producing an initial treatment for the video. The final stage is to engage with victims to test our stager and once we have their approval we engage the services of a director, choreographer and stylist to portray the hell that was Shirley Oaks and other south London children’s homes.

Connor PR working with Shirley Oaks Survivors Association (SOSA) on the ‘Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine’ campaign

CHILD ABUSE SURVIVORS UNITE IN MUSIC VIDEO TO RAISE AWARENESS OF HISTORIC HIGH POWER PAEDOPHILE RING & CALL FOR A REINVESTIGATION INTO HANGED BOY, PETER DAVIS’, DEATH

LONDON, 24^th November 2015: The victims of one of the world’s most horrific and high profile cases of child abuse will today unite to appear in a music video as part of a landmark venture to try and raise awareness of the high power paedophile ring, which included politicians, celebrities, scout masters, members of the Catholic church, that infiltrated more than 20 children’s homes in the Lambeth area from 1950’s – 2000’s. The “Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine” campaign aims to bring justice to the hundreds of victims that suffered at their hands, 12 of whom committed suicide, and lift a 100 year access restriction order on the victim’s files. Award winning author and chair of the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association (SOSA), Alex Wheatle MBE, himself a victim of abuse at Shirley Oaks and now seeking justice, is hoping that the campaign will encourage more witnesses to come forward enabling police to reopen an investigation into 15 year old Peter Davis’ death, who was found hanged at Shirley Oaks in Croydon in 1977.

Written by music mogul, Raymond Stevenson, who discovered Jessie J when she was 15 and was himself physically abused going on to become the founder of SOSA, with input and melodies by X Factor / Alien Uncovered star, Temple Praise, the track is entitled ‘Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine’ and will be released in early December this year. The track features haunting testimonies from the victims. The video will tell the story of the true horror suffered by vulnerable young children during decades of abuse at Shirley Oaks and aims to encourage more people who have any information to come forward and speak out, so that police investigations can be reopened and Government can lift the 100 year access restriction on files for former Shirley Oaks residents. The video will be made available to download from the first week of December 2015 (date TBC) with all funds going towards helping SOSA track down victims from across the UK and around the world.

Raymond Stevenson, SOSA founder, said: “I have done many campaigns and they have always been motivated by personal circumstances and issues that blight communities. Maybe because I survived the hell of Shirley Oaks I believe it’s my duty to help others. I say this not just because I was a victim but there can be no greater crime levied at humanity than paedophillia. Then add that these were abandoned children in the state’s care already unloved and frightened, some already victims and others whose parents died. Then add the lies, the cover-up, the conspiracy and now we learn that this could have all been prevented. This video will enable victims to tell their story through a medium that cannot be tampered with or edited. The chorus in the song simply says, ‘you don’t know what they done to me’. The video will show the fear horror and abuse through art. A line in the song that asks the question, ‘what happens if it was your child?”

Chuka Umunna, Labour MP for Streatham, who has constituents who are Lambeth abuse survivors said: “This is an important step for the campaign. I hope the excellent work that the survivors association are doing will help other survivors feel able to come forward and speak out. By the police’s own admission, previous investigations were ‘of the time’ and did not meet the standards we would apply today. The police owe it to the survivors group to reopen the investigation into Peter Davis’s death.”

The Metropolitan Police said officers looked at available material relating to Peter’s death in September 2014. A statement said: “In the absence of further new witnesses or new lines of inquiry, the matter remains closed. If new witnesses are identified who are prepared to provide police with statements that challenge the recorded decision then an assessment of that material will be undertaken.”

SOSA and Urban Concept’s¹ research and on-going investigation is focused specifically on 1965 onwards when Lambeth took over the controls of Shirley Oaks. There have been multiple inquiries, most recently by the Metropolitan Police and Lambeth Council from 1998 – 2003, which cost millions of pounds, and resulted in the arrest of one paedophile from Shirley Oaks and two other paedophiles from other south London children’s homes. In the first eight months of interviewing over 300 children who attended Shirley Oaks and other South London Children’s Homes, Urban Concepts¹ uncovered more than 16 paedophiles. When they discussed this with the Police their response was dismissive. A few weeks later Urban Concepts discovered a document produced by the Police and Lambeth Council which stated that 16 paedophiles died before or during the Police operation. This included one suicide during the trial in March 2003, 19 cases the alleged paedophile could not be identified and one case where the victim died before being able to give evidence. In some 11 cases the CPS took no further action and one case fell through after the suspected paedopile committed suicide during his trial.

Singers for the “Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine” campaign include 23 year old Millie from Essex, 21 year old Sophie from West Sussex and 21 year old Royal Opera House ballet dancer, Lucy from Stoke. The group known as ETHAMIA were selected based on their suitability to understand the subject matter and to empathise with the victims. When Urban Concepts¹ played the track, the girls burst into tears and demanded to be part of the project. Taking their roles as ambassadors for victims seriously, the girls did their own research and went to Shirley Oaks and also accompanied the victims as they made a presentation to Lambeth council.

Choreographer, Ryan Jenkins, said: “This project has opened my eyes to the unimaginable pain and torture these people have experienced. It makes me so angry to know that nothing substantial has been done by those in authority. I want to help bring justice for these people. This is a story that needs to be told and the time is now.”

The Shirley Oaks campaigners are part of a wider phenomenon – a “survivor” activism that is changing the balance of power in relation to child abuse. Where once victims were ignored or silenced, now they are coming together through social media, forming support groups and building a crescendo of noise that the authorities are forced to acknowledge.

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Join in the conversation @ShirleyOaksSA / #ShirleyOaks

**CAMPAIGN AMBASSADORS, RAYMOND STEVENSON AND ALEX WHEATLE MBE, ARE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW UPON REQUEST**

Connor PR working promoting Shirley Oaks Survivors Association’s latest campaign, Don’t Touch It. It’s Mine”

Connor PR working on Martin Scorsese’s film Tomorrow with Stephen Fry, Joss Stone

PRODUCTION COMMENCES ON BRITISH FEATURE FILM “TOMORROW”

Martin Scorsese and Sebastian Street

Martin Scorsese’s voyage into British feature film gets underway

Cast to include: Stephen Fry, Stephanie Leonidas, Joss Stone, Paul Kaye, Sebastian Street, Stuart Brennan and Sophie Kennedy-Clarke

LONDON, 22 SEPTEMBER 2014: Landmark British feature film, Tomorrow, presented by Martin Scorsese, will commence production from today in London with confirmed cast to include: Stephen Fry (The Hobbit), Stephanie Leonidas (Defiance), Sebastian Street (Age of Heroes), Stuart Brennan (Risen), Sophie Kennedy-‐Clark (Nymphomaniac 1 & 2, Philomena) Paul Kaye (Blackball, Game of Thrones) and Joss Stone (The Tudors).

Produced by London based production companies, Roaring Mouse Productions & Studio 82, Tomorrow marks Martin Scorsese’s first ever voyage into British feature film as he takes on an executive producer role. It also heralds the feature film directional debut of Martha Pinson, Scorsese’s long-‐time script supervisor. Pinson has directed an award winning short film and off-‐ Broadway plays as well as collaborating with Oliver Stone and Sidney Lumet. She has also worked on Scorsese’s four most-‐recent narrative films: The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and Hugo. The script is being penned by Stuart Brennan and Sebastian Street who are producing alongside Dean M. Woodford, while Emma Tillinger Koskoff and Scorsese come on as Executive Producers.

Martin Scorsese said:“I’m honoured to join Martha in her directorial debut. Through her vision, the great cast, and dedicated team, this story will resonate for years to come.”

With a BAFTA Award winning cast already confirmed, Tomorrow has begun principal photography for six weeks across London locations to include Battersea, Borough and Shoreditch, as well as Tedworth House in Wiltshire, home for recovering soldiers, and Spain in October.

Tomorrow is a moving and inspirational feature film, which candidly explores the difficulty and loneliness soldiers encounter as they try to reintegrate back into society having served for their country; moving on from losses and injuries to forge a life, find sustaining work and experience love. The film is a very personal journey for both writers and boldly explores several hard-‐ hitting yet underexposed issues such as post-‐traumatic stress disorder, as well as HIV and AIDS.

Martha Pinson said: ““Tomorrow” is a great script. The dialogue is brilliant and believable; the reversals and surprises are well placed and powerful. The characters and situations are vividly drawn. It explores the difficulty of moving on from loses and injuries, to forge a life, to find sustaining work, and experience love. This is an acute challenge for a person in their mid-‐late 20’s, which has not been extensively explored. For an injured veteran or someone who is HIV positive it is colossal.”

The subject matter of the film is both topical and timely, with the end of the UK combat mission in Afghanistan due to take place in December 2014 when British troops will be withdrawn after 13 years of intense fighting, which has claimed 453 British lives alone. The project is working with charity ‘Help for Heroes’ to collaborate in building a national awareness campaign for the film and the serious issues it deals with.

-‐ENDS-‐ For more information or images please contact:

Join in the conversation @Tomorrowfilmuk

Connor PR specialist in film PR, Connor PR promoting Tomorrow presented by Martin Scorsese, Connor PR specialist in TV and Film PR

Siobhan Connor MD Of Connor PR worked with Mick Fleetwood for two years

Mick Fleetwood

Really great interview in today’s Sunday Times Magazine with Mick Fleetwood, ‘Excess all areas’ by Matt Munday. I worked directly with Mick in 1999, was a big fan of his sister, the actress Susan Fleetwood who sadly passed away in 1995.

Mick Fleetwood has survived nearly 50 years in rock’s most dysfunctional band, Fleetwood Mac. Now they’re back on the road

Mick Fleetwood on Fleetwood Mac: ‘We’re totally driven by drama’

Fleetwood insists the band members love each other really but ‘just push the wrong buttons’

Mick Fleetwood has admitted that Fleetwood Mac are still “totally driven by drama”, likening it to an “addiction”.

Four members of the band’s classic ‘Rumours’-era lineup – Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – reunited this April (2013) for an extensive world tour that will include six arena shows in the UK in September and October.

“We’re totally driven by drama,” Fleetwood said in a new interview with The Sunday Times. “I think we’re calming down a bit, but we’re terrified of not feeling. So if nothing’s happening you’ll worry yourself into creating a drama – just so you’ve got something to react to. It’s sort of an addiction, really.”

However, Fleetwood’s bandmate Stevie Nicks revealed that she and former lover Lindsey Buckingham managed to bury the hatchet shortly before the band began their reunion tour. “I said to Lindsey, ‘We have got to change this. We cannot be enemies for one more day’,” she recalled. “Because you never know – things happen. You don’t know if you’ll ever tour again. So we have to walk on stage hand in hand, and we have to mean it.”

Meanwhile, Fleetwood took the opportunity to quash the common misconception that the four members of the band don’t really get along. “This might sound really corny, but the biggest rumour about Fleetwood Mac is that we don’t really like each other,” he explained. “I understand why people would think that, after everything we’ve said and done. But the reality is, we love each other. We just push the wrong buttons.”

Fleetwood Mac will play three dates at London’s O2 Arena on September 24, 25 and 27 before taking to the stage at Birmingham’s LG Arena on September 29, Manchester Arena on October 1 and Glasgow’s The Hydro on October 3.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/fleetwood-mac/72100#QPt9rKk2LtCyrXZ9.99

Sunday Times / NME

Siobhan Connor from Connor PR works with Mick Fleetwood, Connor PR specialist in Music PR, Connor PR Music PR agency, Connor PR specialist in celebrity PR, Connor PR Entertainment PR specialist

Connor PR working with The Davis Dyslexia Facilitators Association

TOP BRITISH YOUTUBE CELEBRITY SHAVES HEAD
TO RAISE FUNDS FOR DYSLEXIA HELP

On 1 August 2013, dyslexic singer, artist and make-up artist Klaire de Lys will shave her head to raise bursaries for people with dyslexia and on a limited income to access the Davis Dyslexia Programme.

21-year-old Klaire, who lives in Reading, Berkshire, founded KlairedelysArt in January 2009, a YouTube Channel devoted to artistic make-up tutorials. To date, the channel has accumulated over 380,000 subscribers. There have been over 86,000,000 views of the videos on the channel. Klaire was featured in a recent article in the Observer, “YouTube UK: 20 of Britain’s most popular online video bloggers”.

After years of going undiagnosed, Klaire underwent a Davis Dyslexia Programme to address her personal challenges with dyslexia. “To say that that experience made a difference is a serious understatement,” says Klaire. “It changed my life completely and gave me the tools to achieve things I could only dream of before.”

The Davis Dyslexia Programme was created by Ronald Davis, author of the internationally best-selling book, “The Gift of Dyslexia”. The programme originated out of Davis’ own experience of severe dyslexia and is now provided in over 30 languages and in more than 45 countries. It plays to the perceptual talents inherent in dyslexia and makes innovative use of plasticine clay as a learning medium.

“At present, the Davis Programme receives no state funding,” says Richard Whitehead, Director of Davis Learning Foundation, the non-profit UK arm of Davis Dyslexia Association International. “We are delighted with Klaire’s amazing gesture, which will bring the benefits of the programme to people who could never have dreamt of them before.”

At the same time as shaving her head, Klaire will launch her new band, Fenix, with a song that is all about her experiences with dyslexia.

“I’m hoping that by approaching this project by both shaving my head to raise awareness, and releasing my song Paper Wings, I can really make a difference in the lives of Dyslexics,” says Klaire. “Not only raising funds to help, but also by hopefully creating a song which will continue to raise awareness long after my hair has grown back.”

People with dyslexia will not be the only people to benefit from Klaire’s gesture. After shaving her head, Klaire plans to donate her hair to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit company providing hair replacement for children who have lost their hair because of cancer treatment, burns and other medical issues.

Further information:

Klaire’s video about the campaign:

Campaign web page (for donations):
http://igg.me/at/dyslexiahelp/x/3930552

http://www.youtube.com/user/KlairedelysArt
http://www.unlocking-learning.co.uk/
http://www.wigsforkids.org/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/07/youtube-uk-20-online-video-bloggers