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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Following the sad death of local politician Nilgun Canver in August this year there have been a couple of discussions on a fitting local memorial. I am personally not keen on mixing any of the local community events with the name of a local politician and I don't think a bench or something like that is appropriate.

What I think would be good is an academic based award for the top Turkish student at Hornsey School for Girls in her name. I'm picking that school because it's the local girl's school. There are no secondary schools in Harringay although I'd take the point that Park View is just as close and has plenty of Turkish female students too.

The idea is to encourage some young Turkish women in the future, to google her name once a year when it is awarded, and hopefully be inspired. I think she would have liked this much more than some silly old bench.

I'm very open to suggestions but to start with I thought we could seek £5000 of donations to award to HSG on condition that once a year they award £500 to their top Turkish student in Nilgun's name for the next ten years. £500 can buy a reasonable laptop or even a good bicycle.

I am stoney broke at the moment but I am willing to stump up the first £500.

If I get just one other person saying yes, I'll get off my bum and speak to the school and see if there are some magic money trees we can shake.

Tags for Forum Posts: hornsey school for girls, nilgun canver

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John. I think this is a lovely idea. I only met Nilgun a couple of times but I liked her. She was instrumental in getting the Pemberton Play Street cleared after her offices tried to nix it and for that I feel a debt of gratitude!

I should flag I am a governor at HSFG... If others think this i good idea I would happily take this to the school with you and the Governing Body.

One thing I am personally keen on is getting female role models to come to the school and meet the girls to inspire them and give them some semblance of understanding as to the range of roles they might take on in later life, and to show them that women can succeed, so they should not limit their aspirations! perhaps we can get someone from the council to come make the award (at what ever school you choose) and make a short presentation to share with the students how they got to where they are now. Perhaps the present Cabinet Member for Environment (the role Nilgun last held) - Peray Ahmet - might be persuaded for example.

Peray is an ex student of HSG. We have enough for the award for next year already because of my pledge and I'm sure she'd like to present it.

I'd really love you to float this idea with the board when you can next.

Our next full meeting is not until December but I will float it with the Chair John and let you know. I cannot imagine that she will be against the idea.

Great. So we're all go for this. Time to find some more money. By the end of the period of the award it would need to be £610 pounds to be worth the same as £500 next year so we'd need £6080 or to have it inflation protected somehow (bloody hard at the moment).

£510 down (thanks Billy), £5570 to go. Any hints for groups that might help out with funding for this?

I will stick £50 in John. I suggest you canvas Nilgun’s Labour/council colleagues...

Lovely idea John.

Peray is not an ex student of HSG by the way she attended what was then called White Hart Lane School and was in the same school year as me (1987 -92) now called Woodside academy.

Ah, my bad. OK, any pointers on where we might get some more money from?

The school already does this, eg on International Women's Day speakers included Baroness Young and Catherine West amongst others as well as being in partnership with The Girls' Network.

Zeinab Badawi is another well known former pupil.

Btw, it's the local girls school - there is more than one pupil!

I think  it is a great idea. I'd put in some money. As ward Councillors we have had a separate discussion about how we might have some form of memorial for Nilgun. We hope to meet this weekend and that will be on our agenda. 

Pippa Connor and I spoke to the Hornsey Year 11 Citizenship class about women in local politics. A very interesting session!

Zena Brabazon 

Cllr, Harringay ward

Sadly the school don't seem interested in this, possibly because of my extra stipulation that it never be handed over by anyone connected with the Metropolitan Police Service.

If anyone knows of a female, preferably BAME student in Haringey that might look to get involved in politics and has the prospect of good marks for their GCSEs, please get in touch. There is £500 for them in the name of Nilgun Canver, looking to hand it over in June.

John. Has Jo actually said the school is not interested? Or did the communication just fizzle out because it was not pushed? Happy to pick this up if it was the latter as opposed to the former.

I've chased a couple of times but communication appears to have fizzled out.

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