Helen Margaret Newlove, Baroness Newlove (born 28 December 1961) is a

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

-based community reform campaigner who was appointed as the

Victims' Commissioner The office of the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales is an organization of the government of the United Kingdom. The role of the Victims' Commissioner is to promote the interests of victims and witnesses of crime, encourage good practi ...

by the UK government in 2012. She is currently serving as a Deputy Speaker in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. Helen Newlove came to prominence after her husband,

Garry Newlove Garry may refer to: Names *Gary (given name) or Garry *Garry (surname) Places * Cape Garry, South Shetlands *Fort Garry, Winnipeg, a district in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada *Garry Lake, Nunavut, Canada * Rural Municipality of Garry No. 245, S ...

was murdered by three youths in 2007. After his death she set up a number of foundations that aimed to tackle the UK drinking culture as well as providing support to young people. Newlove was given a peerage in the

2010 Dissolution Honours The 2010 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 28 May 2010 at the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. The list was gazetted on 15 June. Life Peerages Conservative * Timothy Eric Boswell - former Whip and Parliamentary secret ...

list and sits in the

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Campaigns

Newlove's 47-year-old husband Garry Newlove was murdered in August 2007 in Warrington, Cheshire, after confronting a gang of drunken youths who were vandalising her car – the culmination of a long-running campaign of youth gang crime in the

Padgate Padgate is a suburb of Warrington, in the civil parish of Poulton-with-Fearnhead, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. History Overview Historically part of Lancashire, until 1838 Padgate was an area of far ...

area of the town. Five months later, three local teenagers were found guilty of murdering Garry Newlove, who died in hospital 36 hours after being repeatedly kicked and punched outside his house. They were sentenced to life imprisonment with recommended minimum terms of between 12 and 17 years. Two other suspects, also teenagers, were tried for the murder but found not guilty. Witnesses estimated that around ten people were involved in the attack on Garry Newlove, and most or all of them had been involved in earlier incidents of vandalism. One of the three teenagers found guilty of the murder had been released on bail hours earlier after appearing in court charged with assaulting another man in the local area. Since her husband's death, Helen Newlove has campaigned against the UK's binge-drink culture and calling for better training for landlords and bar staff, as well as shop workers involved in the sale of alcohol. She has more prominently campaigned to clamp down on the sort of criminal activities which contributed to the death of her husband, campaigned for stiffer sentences for serious offences, and campaigned for improved support for victims of crime – highlighting the lack of support that she and her family received after the murder, and highlighting the lack of support given to many other victims of crime (ranging from the families of murder victims to families who have been bereaved by road accidents). Helen Newlove set up Newlove Warrington on 8 November 2008, which aims to make the town a safer and better place for people to live and to improve facilities and opportunities for the children through education and life skills for the better of communities. The three goals for the campaign were to inspire people to lead a more purposeful life; motivating people to enrich their lives; providing opportunities for positive interaction with communities. Newlove has extended her campaign nationally by joining forces with the local and national media.

Peerage

In May 2010, Newlove was given a peerage in the 2010 Dissolution Honours list. After the announcement was made Newlove commented that "''I am just an ordinary woman, propelled into high profile by a set of horrifying circumstances which I wish with all my heart had never occurred.''" Newlove took up her seat in the

as a

on 15 July 2010 when she was introduced as Baroness Newlove, of

in the County of Cheshire. On 5 March 2021, Newlove took up the office of Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.

Victims' Commissioner

On 21 December 2012 it was announced that Helen Newlove had been appointed as the new Victims' Commissioner, a role requiring her to liaise with ministers to offer advice on aspects of the Criminal Justice System that affect victims and witnesses. The three-year post had previously been held by

Louise Casey Louise Casey, Baroness Casey of Blackstock, (born 29 March 1965) is a British government official working in social welfare. She was the deputy director of Shelter in 1992, head of the Rough Sleepers' Unit (RSU) in 1999, a director of the n ...

, but had been vacant since Casey stepped down in October 2011. She stepped down from the role in 2019.

References

External links

Newlove Warrington
charity founded and run by Helen Newlove {{DEFAULTSORT:Newlove, Helen 1961 births Conservative Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Living people People from Warrington Place of birth missing (living people)