(1943 – )
I’m sceptical of the existence of this exhibit. It is a bust of Margaret Beckett, Labour MP, who was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University in 2017. There is little detail of it online and very little pictorial evidence but, if it’s out there in the public realm, I’m duty bound to find it.
They say a day in politics is a long time. Margaret served 45 years as a Member of Parliament before standing down in the 2024 election and is now doing time in the House of Lords – seemingly a sucker for a lifetime of punishment. In 2006 she officially opened the new Clinical Skills Suite before returning in 2007 for the unveiling of the bust in the reception area. I’m in Derby anyway – the birth town of Florence Nightingale (3 statues in one place!) so it is no hardship to drop by at the university and take a chance that the bust is still in position. Staff are friendly as they direct me to the suite, hence I capture her thus.
WomenstatuesUK 