I just wanted to write a short personal tribute to Professor
Margaret Talbot OBE who passed away in the last week.
I have known her for many year and she has always been
forthright and resolute in her views and opinions about sport and particularly
PE. I first met Margaret many years ago when she was lecturer at the then Leeds
Met and her views about quality PE stood out as being about the child and not
the political rhetoric at the time.
I then gained considerable support from her in her CEO role
at the then CCPR when I left England Basketball as CEO – she gave be wonderful
advice and guidance in a difficult time and that for me was one of Margaret’s
wonderful qualities – the time she gave to listen and give wise advice. I hope
I also supported her when she left the CCPR. She also showed me a fantastic
Cheese shop in Pimlico!
Margaret also gave me my first consultancy job at Sport Structures
– guiding the then British Sports Trust in their positioning of the Step into
Sport Programme prior to Linda Plowright starting. A lovely experience and set
me on the way to grow the business as it has.
I was delighted when Margaret agreed to be part of our team
helping the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry and Education in developing
their first PE and School Sport Strategy. Absolutely up her street as at the
time there wasn’t any girl’s PE. Her respect for the culture yet her forthright
questioning of senior people was a pleasure to see. I am delighted to say that
part of Margaret’s legacy will be that girls are now starting to do PE in Saudi
and she was supported by some fantastic people in the Kingdom who were open to
change.
This was Margaret’s “pitch” battling to change unequal
practice although some would say she over complicated PE and Sport? I always
felt it needed that academic background to justify the approaches to be taken
and it needed people around Margaret to interpret and implement her undoubted
wisdom, background and vision.
As part of that project Margaret and we hosted a study tour
of the Saudi project team. We went to a secondary school in Manchester in the
last week of summer term and Margaret was beside herself why the year 10’s were
doing fun games and not learning! I did ask her to relax a little and that
children do enjoy games!
Her sad passing away will leave a hole in so many aspects of
British sport and also what is great about our structure in that we can export
the benefits of how we do things over here.
I will miss her confidence and strength – Rest in Peace Margaret.
Simon Kirkland
