Debbie Thrower (born 17 November 1957 in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

) is an English journalist and broadcaster who presented BBC national news bulletins in the 1980s and

ITV Meridian ITV Meridian (previously Meridian Broadcasting) is the holder of the ITV (TV network), ITV franchise for the South and South East England, South East of England. The station was launched at 12:00 am on 1 January 1993, replacing previous broadca ...

's flagship news programme ''

Meridian Tonight ''ITV News Meridian'' is a British television news service broadcast and produced by ITV Meridian. Overview The news service is produced and broadcast from ITV Meridian's studios in Whiteley, near Fareham with reporters also based at bureaux i ...

'' (southern edition) from its inception in 1993 to 2009. She is the founder and pioneer of Anna Chaplaincy for Older People, part of The Bible Reading Fellowship, BRF.

Early life and education

She was born in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and spent her early childhood there before she and her family came back to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, settling in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. She was educated at

Edgehill College Edgehill College was a co-educational independent school located in Bideford, Devon. Founded in 1884 by the Bible Christian movement, Edgehill was one of a number of independent schools owned by the Methodist Church of Great Britain and was sis ...

, formerly a girls'

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...

, and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

where she obtained a degree in French.

Career

Journalism

Thrower originally trained as a newspaper journalist at the ''Wimbledon Guardian''. She began her broadcasting career at

BBC Radio Leicester BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at St Nicholas Place in Leicester. According to RAJAR, the station ...

, before moving to

BBC Radio Solent BBC Radio Solent is the BBC's local radio station serving Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Havelock Road in Southampton. According to RAJAR, the station has a ...

in the early 1980s, and then transferring to television as the co-presenter of '' BBC South Today''. In 1987, she replaced Jan Leeming reading national BBC news bulletins, primarily at weekends and then read the ''Nine O’Clock News'' for a time. She also became a regular presenter on ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

,'' and the Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4''.''

Radio and television

Transferring to ITV, Thrower and colleague

Fred Dinenage Frederick Edgar Dinenage MBE (born 8 June 1942) is an English author and retired broadcaster and television presenter. His television career spanned nearly 60 years, including the long-running children's programme ''How'' and ITV's regional pr ...

were presenters of ''Meridian Tonight'' (South) when it first aired in 1993. In addition, she was the first person seen after the changeover of TV contractor from TVS to Meridian, shortly after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day 1993, covering the celebrations at

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

, which was celebrating its 900th anniversary. Her final show as presenter of ''Meridian Tonight'' was on 6 February 2009. She was latterly the final presenter for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's popular

antiques An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

programme ''

Collectors' Lot ''Collectors' Lot'' is a TV programme produced from 1997 to 2001 by Twofour Broadcast for the United Kingdom's Channel 4. Shown on weekday afternoons, the programme visited every corner of Britain to explore the weird and wonderful things tha ...

'', which aired on weekday afternoons, gaining two million viewers a day. She also had a

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

afternoon show between 1995 and 1998 replacing long-time presenter

Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appea ...

. On 13 January 2009, Thrower confirmed in an interview with ''The News'' in Portsmouth that she was leaving ITV Meridian to concentrate on freelance work and her voluntary ministry as a Church of England reader or Licensed Lay Minister (LLM). Thrower is a Canon Emeritus of Winchester Cathedral. In 2016 she was awarded an honorary degree for public service from the University of Winchester- Doctor of Letters honoris causa.

Religious and charity work

In November 2009 she was appointed the first Chaplain to Older People in Alton, Hampshire. She went on to pioneer Anna Chaplaincy to Older People (named after the elderly widow Anna in St Luke's gospel, a good role model of a faithful older person) which started in Alton, the result of a covenant-signing between Anglicans and Methodists to collaborate more closely. The Anna Chaplaincy approach to supporting people in care homes and the wider community, meeting the spiritual needs of men and women in their later years whether they have a strong faith or none, is spreading nationally through The Bible Reading Fellowship, BRF. The Abingdon-based charity is helping to develop Anna Chaplaincy for older people of which Thrower is founder and pioneer. There is now a network of more than 160 Anna Chaplains and others in equivalent roles across the UK.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thrower, Debbie 1957 births Living people English television journalists English women journalists ITN newsreaders and journalists ITV regional newsreaders and journalists British television newsreaders and news presenters British radio journalists British women radio journalists British women television journalists Kenyan people of English descent People from Nairobi Television personalities from Devon BBC Radio 2 presenters British women radio presenters