Debrett's announces new entries to People of Today – entries online for the first time
Howard Lake | 23 July 2009 | News
Gluttony and sloth to beachcombing and clock making…
Debretts.com reveals the guilty pleasures of People of Today online for the first time
Debrett’s has today announced the new entries to this year’s People of Today, and published all 25,000 of the UK’s most influential and successful names online for first time at Debretts.com.
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Every year, individuals who have made a real contribution to British society are invited to join this exclusive selection after extensive research by the experts at Debrett’s.
New additions from the Charity and Not for Profit sector include:
§ Transforming the lives of the homeless is Sister Ellen Flynn Chair of The Passage.
§ Trevor Pears, executive chairman of the Pears Foundation, supporting human rights, community and education, international development and Israel projects.
§ Kids Company founder Camilla Batmanghelidjh working with vulnerable children and young people.
§ Offering research consultancy services to the not for profit sector is Joe Saxton – the driver of ideas for nfpSynergy.
§ Chief executive of RADAR, the disability network, Ms Liz Sayce, OBE.
All the information is now available for free online as the brand new Debretts.com is launched. All the biographical information is provided by the entrants themselves, making Debretts.com’s People of Today an unrivalled source of authorised biographical information. Entrants are drawn from a wide range of industries and professions, from the arts, media and film to sport, business and politics.
The unusual and unexpected just adds to the intrigue. Users can search the site to find out more about all those included, and the results can be surprising:
Off-pitch, David Beckham lists wine tasting among his recreations, BBC Radio 4’s Kirsty Wark switches off by beachcombing, and Boris Johnson enjoys painting.
Michael Gambon enjoys gun-collecting and clock making, while fellow Harry Potter cast member Robbie Coltrane likes playing the piano.
Some entrants are surprisingly honest in the recreational listings; John Cleese confesses to gluttony and sloth, author Ian Rankin lists seedy bars and comedian Jimmy Carr admits to enjoying all the trappings of c-list celebrity. Perhaps unexpectedly, actor Richard E. Grant enjoys making dolls houses.
Author Jilly Cooper’s recreations include mongrels and merry making, whilst fashion designer Scott Henshall lists living life to the full.
Magician Derren Brown reveals a surprising penchant for taxidermy and Notting Hill actor James Dreyfus is a fan of lounging, loafing and napping.
For some businessmen, the lure of work is strong: Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou spends his ‘recreation’ time on serial entrepreneurship.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall enjoys charcuterie; actor Tim Roth lists chickens while chef Anthony Worrell-Thompson’s recreations include pigs…
Debretts.com has been completely re-designed to provide information and advice on all aspects of life. Find out about the people making the news, the season’s events, correct form for every occasion, and how to plan a wedding.
Debretts.com is the essential reference tool for everyone who is interested in power, wealth, achievement and celebrity in modern Britain. A wealth of expertise, information, advice and experience is for the first time available at the click of a button.
-ENDS-
Please include Debretts.com in all articles.
For further information, please contact Jo Preston on 0207 591 9610, or email jo*@bl*.uk
Notes To Editors
1.Debrett’s is the modern authority on all matters of recognition and achievement.
2.A typical biography in Debrett’s People of Today contains: full name, schools and universities attended, family details, career, honours and awards, publications, hobbies and interests, club memberships and contact details. Included in every entry is Style of Address – the correct way in which to address correspondence to the entrant in question.
3.Each entrant is sent a copy of his or her biographical entry to check and update every year to ensure Debrett’s People of Today is as accurate as possible.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.