BARONESS STROUD (1983)

We were delighted to welcome Baroness Philippa Stroud (1983) back to St Catherine’s to deliver a St Catherine’ Presents lecture to the Sixth Form, parents and friends of the School. Not her first trip back it transpired, as she shared with us a previous visit with her then fiancé (under cover of darkness) to pay homage to the lacrosse fields, and a second more recent excursion to the touchline to cheer on her daughter! Baroness Stroud is a special adviser on welfare to Number 10; CEO of The Legatum Institute; and co-founder of the think tank The Centre for Social Justice.

After supper with some of the girls who are currently studying Politics, Economics, Psychology or Religious Studies, Baroness Stroud spoke to the audience of her passionate commitment to tackle poverty and social breakdown. In her early career she spent time in Hong Kong and Macau, working with addicts undergoing rehabilitation. When she returned to the UK she founded and directed a four-stage project that supported people to help them get off the streets and into independent living. She then moved to Birmingham in 2000 and