Helen Rollason
Encyclopedia
Helen Frances Rollason MBE
(11 March 1956 - 9 August 1999) was a British
sports journalist and television presenter.
, grew up in Bath and studied at Chelsea School of Physical Education, Eastbourne
and Dalhousie University
, in Canada. She worked as a PE teacher, was a member of Bath Athletics Club, and played hockey at county level. She was, quite simply, a self confessed sports nut.
. After a spell as a freelance sports producer and presenter, Rollason become a presenter of the children's news show Newsround
. She became the first female presenter of the BBC sports programme Grandstand
on 19 May 1990. During her tenure on the show, she presented coverage of the 1992
and 1996 Summer Olympics
. She also presented the sports news on BBC Breakfast
. In 1999, she became the Friday sports presenter on the BBC Six O'Clock News
.
in the Queen's 1999 birthday honours for services to broadcasting and charities.
“I cried when I received the news,” she said. “I don’t feel I deserve it but I’m very thrilled that so many women are coming through in sport broadcasting now.”
A Helen Rollason Award was set up at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year
awards
A Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration was set up by the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards. 2009's winner Dee Caffari
became the first female to sail solo, non-stop in both directions around the world.
, which later metastasis
ed to her liver
and lung
s. A 1998 documentary, Hope for Helen, followed her fight. Rollason became involved in charity work, raising £
5 million for a cancer wing at North Middlesex hospital. Rollason died on 9 August 1999 at the age of 43, in Brentwood, Essex.
was set up in her name. The charity funds and operated four cancer support centres – two in Essex, one in Hertfordshire and a fourth in London. Lord Coe is the charity's patron.
The charity also funds an extensive research programme into the disease. A team of scientists are working on a number of projects at the Helen Rollason Laboratory based at Anglia Ruskin University
in Chelmsford, Essex. A dedicated team of research nurses meanwhile care for cancer patients on clinical drug trials.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(11 March 1956 - 9 August 1999) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
sports journalist and television presenter.
Early life
Born 11 March 1956, Helen Rollason was an adopted child. She was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, grew up in Bath and studied at Chelsea School of Physical Education, Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, in Canada. She worked as a PE teacher, was a member of Bath Athletics Club, and played hockey at county level. She was, quite simply, a self confessed sports nut.
Broadcasting career
In 1980 Rollason became deputy sports editor for Radio EssexBBC Essex
BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 and 95.3 FM, and on 729 , 765 , and 1530 AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.-History:BBC Essex launched on 5...
. After a spell as a freelance sports producer and presenter, Rollason become a presenter of the children's news show Newsround
Newsround
Newsround is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972, and was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children...
. She became the first female presenter of the BBC sports programme Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
on 19 May 1990. During her tenure on the show, she presented coverage of the 1992
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
and 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. She also presented the sports news on BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
. In 1999, she became the Friday sports presenter on the BBC Six O'Clock News
BBC Six O'Clock News
The BBC News at Six is the evening news programme broadcast each night on British television channel BBC One and the BBC News channel at 18:00. For a long period the News at Six was the most watched news programme in the UK but since 2006 it has been over taken by the BBC News at Ten...
.
Awards
Shortly before Rollason died she was awarded an MBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the Queen's 1999 birthday honours for services to broadcasting and charities.
“I cried when I received the news,” she said. “I don’t feel I deserve it but I’m very thrilled that so many women are coming through in sport broadcasting now.”
A Helen Rollason Award was set up at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
awards
A Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration was set up by the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards. 2009's winner Dee Caffari
Dee Caffari
Denise "Dee" Caffari MBE is a British sailor, and in 2006 became the first woman to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world "the wrong way"; westward against the prevailing winds and currents...
became the first female to sail solo, non-stop in both directions around the world.
Cancer and death
In 1997, she was diagnosed with cancer of the colonColorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
, which later metastasis
Metastasis
Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
ed to her liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
s. A 1998 documentary, Hope for Helen, followed her fight. Rollason became involved in charity work, raising £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
5 million for a cancer wing at North Middlesex hospital. Rollason died on 9 August 1999 at the age of 43, in Brentwood, Essex.
Helen Rollason Cancer Charity
The Helen Rollason Cancer CharityHelen Rollason Cancer Charity
The Helen Rollason Cancer Charity is a cancer charity in the United Kingdom which funds cancer support centres and research into the disease. It was founded in 1999 and is the legacy of Helen Rollason MBE, who died of cancer aged 43...
was set up in her name. The charity funds and operated four cancer support centres – two in Essex, one in Hertfordshire and a fourth in London. Lord Coe is the charity's patron.
The charity also funds an extensive research programme into the disease. A team of scientists are working on a number of projects at the Helen Rollason Laboratory based at Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
in Chelmsford, Essex. A dedicated team of research nurses meanwhile care for cancer patients on clinical drug trials.