Clifford Chambers charity founder Sarah Hosking awarded birthday honour for services to the arts
“I specialise in shattered clever women and animals that nobody wants,” says the inimitable Sarah Hosking, 83, who has just received an MBE for services to the arts.
The Clifford Chambers resident, who has a menagerie of rescued animals – including four cats, a cockerel, chickens and a rabbit – established the Hosking Houses Trust charity to offer retreats to older female creatives after being inspired by Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.
She explained: “When I was about 20 someone gave me a copy of the book and I was absolutely bowled over. It stayed in my mind: why isn’t there a space where women can go? What would make that room happen?”
Following what Sarah describes as a “mongrel arts career”, Sarah set up the charity when she retired, and in the last 20 years it has hosted around 180 artistic women, many of whom are writers who have gone on to have their work published.
Actor Emma Thompson and artist Tracey Emin are among the charity’s patrons.
During her career, Sarah says she is proud of the work she did working with the Arts Council, promoting visual arts, and with the Special Hospitals Authority that ran places for ‘mentally disordered offenders’ – where she helped improve the living conditions.
In 2022 Sarah was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and is pleased to be adding the MBE to her honours.
“I’m glad I’ve got it now before it’s too late,” said Sarah. “I’ve been proposed about four times, and it was turned down. Eventually I was asked if I would accept it if it was offered, and I said ‘Yes, but get on with it, I am 83’.”
While thankful, Sarah has just one point to make about her latest gong.
“I do wish they would drop the ‘empire’ bit from the honours. Yes the empire did good things, like the railways and English is the language of the internet because of it. But the empire also did a lot of bad things, and so if they could think of another title I think everyone would appreciate it.”
Still, she’s looking forward to receiving her award and an excuse to buy a new hat.
“I’ve only got a knitted hat with a bobble on that I wear to feed the chickens when it snows, so I will need a new hat to go to Buck House,” she added.
The Hosking Houses Trust are currently looking for trustees. Find out more at hoskinghouses.org.uk
