New Year's Honours: Charity boss Rosalind Paul appointed MBE

A woman who heads a scheme which partners child playwrights with professional actors said she was "amazed" to be appointed an MBE.

Rosalind Paul, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, who runs Scene & Heard in Camden, London, has been recognised in the New Year's Honours list.

The charity works with children to write plays which are then performed.

Ms Paul said being honoured for her work "never crossed my mind" but was "extraordinary".

Other people in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to be honoured include:

Ms Paul, 56, Scene & Heard's chief executive officer and artistic director, has been recognised for her services to young people and families in Somers Town, Camden.

Ms Paul began as a volunteer there in 2003, running her first course in 2007, becoming associate artistic director in 2008 and taking on her current role in 2010.

Founded in 1999, it individually mentors children from the age of nine, from two referring primary schools, to learn to write a play.

They are not allowed to write about human characters so must instead populate their work with animals and objects.

"This stops them writing EastEnders and fires their imagination and sometimes also leads to the most charming work," Ms Paul said.

"For example, in February 2020, just before the first lockdown, one child wrote a play where one character was a coronavirus whose dad was an unwashed hand and whose mum was a sneeze, and the second character was Justin Bieber's belly button ring," she said,

"It's all about imagination and reminding children that their greatest resource is in their own heads - their imagination - and if you can liberate that, you can do great things, it gives you power."

The children's creations are then performed with "high production values", and while the charity's patrons include Sam West, Hugh Bonneville, Michael Sheen and Emma Watson, the actors are chosen from nearly 400 volunteers, mostly jobbing actors.

"They all love it - it's as joyful for them as it is for the children," she said.

"But once [the children] have seen their play performed - not by their peers but by professionals - and they take their applause as the playwright, that public affirmation never leaves you.

"Plus, it elevates their ideas and gives them credence."

Ms Paul said while they see 80-100 children across a year, "once they are a member playwright, they are always a member".

Many children come back to do work experience or their Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteering, and there currently 360 member playwrights, some now adults.

The charity said it had evidence that 86% of those old enough had gone on to higher education.

"Somers Town is a very inner-city area and life is quite tough. There are multiple disadvantages and these little people are just starting out," she said.

"So for us it's all about raising aspiration and boosting self-esteem so it gives them a better start."

She said the youngsters learnt far more than just being able to write a play, such as confidence and literary and communication skills.

One young adult, who is now doing an apprenticeship, recently came back to see her and told her of the impact the scheme had had on him.

"If you feel confident when you are talking to people, then they feel confident," she said.

"These sorts of skills are vital and underestimated, in my view."

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