issue 41 winter 2014/15 waving not drowning the newsletter for carers and parents of disabled children who work or wish to work Lynda Bellingham No one worked harder than Lynda, who sadly died aged 66 in October this year. In recent times she toured constantly with Calendar Girls , appeared live on Loose Women and recorded character roles in a variety of TV dramas – often all in the same month. And yet she never turned down a request for help from the charities which were close to her heart. Working Families was one such and she was one of our Vice Patrons for many, many years. I well remember the day she fitted in recording our BBC Radio 4 Appeal before heading off to perform in a matinee of Calendar Girls in the West End. Always the consummate professional, she knocked off our script in a couple of ‘takes’ whilst adding her own personal experience as a working Mum with the utmost of ease. No slouch in her private life, either, she was a good friend to many, a great hostess and an attentive mother. Even in her last months when her own ability to eat was limited, she cooked delicious meals for her family. I knew her through the difficult times with her second husband, Nuncio, and was so pleased to see her happy with her third, Michael, whom she married on her 60th birthday. What a day that was! She arrived in the church on the arms of two close friends – Christopher Biggins and Nickolas Grace! She first met Nickolas on her first day at the Central School of Speech and Drama and the required stints in rep, in TV soaps and on stage followed. She even had a role in Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1975). And of course behind the scenes of all this professional activity, Lynda was dealing with difficult times in her personal life and the drama of discovering her birth mother. Lynda’s career really took off in the 1980s when she played the vet’s wife Helen She was born Meredith Lee Hughes in Montreal, Canada and her mother Marjorie Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small and was dominated in the 1990s by her gave her up for adoption to an English couple Don and Ruth Bellingham. Lynda had starring role in the TV sitcoms Second Thoughts and Faith in the Future written for a country childhood in Buckinghamshire with her two sisters Barbara and Jean and her by her friends Jan Etherington and Gavin Petrie and co-starring James Bolam. only found out she was adopted in her teens. Marjorie and Lynda were only reunited But of course, she will always be remembered as the ‘Oxo Mum’ in that run of in 1990 after Lynda talked about her on a Canadian TV programme. ads between 1983 and 1999. Slightly rueful about being cast as ‘the nation’s favourite Mum’ she was nevertheless very grateful for the financial security this I don’t know how, but she even found time to write two novels and two volumes of work gave her. autobiography – the last There’s something I’m Dying to Tell You , released just weeks before her death. Both this and her second novel The Boy I Love are currently It also allowed her to take on less well-paid roles on the stage. Among those, she topping the bestseller lists. was particularly proud of were playing opposite Janet Suzman and Maureen Lipman (another close friend and Muswell Hill neighbour) in The Sisters Rosenweig So, fast forward to 2013 and Lynda is happily married to Michael Pattemore, her at the Old Vic and the Royal Court production of a drama about sex tourism beloved ‘boys’ Michael and Robbie Peluso are grown into handsome young men Sugar Mummies . and her varied career is going well – Kay Mellor had written A Passionate Woman especially for her. It seems particularly cruel, then, that she was diagnosed I went over to Moscow with her for the premiere of The Romanovs: A Crowned with colon cancer at that moment. There are so many of us who will miss her very Family (2000) when she played the Empress Alexandra. She was treated as a star much indeed. and a great actress, and the film was a great hit in Russia but, sadly, was never released over here. There were more roles in Panto, a number of parts on TV, Lynda Bellingham, actor, born 31 May 1948; died 19 October 2014. including Dr Who and The Bill , and an acclaimed performance in Vincent River at the Trafalgar Studios in London. Maggy Meade-King www.workingfamilies.org.uk the other with a background in commerce. You can usually tell which is which from Taking Your the type of questions they ask! Hearings are usually held in public, although it is rare for anyone to actually turn up and watch. In cases where there is evidence of a very personal nature, such as sexual harassment or some disability cases, you can Employer to an apply for the hearing to be private. Hearings can be anything from half a day to several weeks, depending on the complexity of the case. Most are three days or less. Employment Tribunal The claimant sits on the judge’s left, the respondent on the judge’s right. If the parties are represented then the representatives usually sit in the middle so they If you can’t resolve an argument with your employer about your can more easily talk to each other, or sit closest to the judge(s). There will be a rights at work, such as Parental Leave or Requesting Flexible witness table, with an unmarked copy of the documents and all of the witness Working, you can end up taking your employer to an statements. Whether you or the respondent give evidence first will depend on your Employment Tribunal. Cathy Rogan, one of Working Families’ claim and what you have to prove, so be prepared either way. The other witnesses Rights Advisers, writes about the experience (What she can normally watch the proceedings before their turn. Very occasionally a judge describes applies to England and Wales only). may order them to wait outside. Most people will never go to an When it is your turn to give evidence you will be called to the witness table. You will Employment Tribunal, so it’s difficult to be asked to swear on a holy book or to affirm. You will have submitted a written know what to expect when you do. witness statement. You are not normally expected to read this out loud. You will be Tribunals are described as being given opportunity to comment on new matters from the other side’s witness ‘informal’ – this is in comparison to statements (‘Supplemental questions’) and then the cross examination begins. other courts! It is still a more formal setting than most. Cross examination is where the other side’s representative asks you questions. It is a very stressful experience. The lawyer is allowed to ask leading questions like You should aim to get to the tribunal at ‘You did leave the storeroom unlocked, didn’t you?’ Try not to get flustered, and least 30 minutes before your hearing certainly don’t get angry – the lawyer is only doing her job. But don’t worry if you starts. You will sign in at reception and do get upset. Judges understand that it is stressful, and there is often a box of let the clerk know you are there. There tissues on the witness table for this reason. are separate waiting areas for claimants and respondents. A lot of cases settle in After cross examination the judges will ask their own questions. If you have a break the waiting rooms! You will see each while you are sworn in as a witness (even an overnight break or longer), you are side’s representatives popping in and forbidden from speaking to anyone about the case until your evidence is finished out to hand over papers or to negotiate and you are released. Cathy Rogan an agreement. After the evidence, each side will give their ‘submissions’, that is their arguments If you have any accessibility needs (such as language, disability or if you are about why their side should win. This will be a mixture of evidence that the tribunal breastfeeding), let the tribunal staff know as soon as you receive notice of the has heard and legal argument. Then the judges will go and make their decision. hearing. They are usually very helpful. There isn’t a dress code, but a good rule is Depending on how much time is left, they may send you out to the waiting area, to wear what you would wear to a job interview. The lawyers and judges will be they may send you home until the next day or they may ‘reserve judgement’ – dressed normally; there are no wigs or gowns. People don’t stand to speak and decide at another time and let the parties know in writing. If they do not reserve there is very little ceremony about proceedings. You call the judge ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’. judgement, they will give the judgement orally. If this happens and you have lost you will need to ask for a written copy in case you are able to appeal. The first time you have to attend the tribunal will probably be at a Preliminary Hearing. You will be sent an agenda and you might be asked to agree some things If the tribunal finds for the claimant then they will also have to deal with remedies – (such as what facts both sides agree on, if any) beforehand.