Imperial College
Emily Horton
Editor, Sheengate Publishing
Emily's hello – Surrey Downs Magazine, April 2016
Just four days after our March issue was published, our cover interviewee – the legendary aviator Capt Eric Brown CBE – passed away amid much sadness. His was a heroic legacy and a great tale – one in which I was lucky enough to have played a small part, having interviewed him just two weeks before the final chapter closed.
I was invited to pay tribute to Capt Brown with historian Paul Beaver on Radio 4’s Today programme (listen online on BBC iPlayer or via our article here). What, I wonder, would the great man have thought of a young, civilian gal extolling him on the BBC? Of course, he was easy to praise – his presence was electric, even at 97, and his wisdom, energy and sense of adventure inspired everyone he met. Capt Brown – we salute you, sir.
This month we present another daredevil – one of whom Eric would surely have approved. Ashtead’s Talan Skeels-Piggins has spent his life pushing back the boundaries of the possible, not least as a paraplegic motorcyclist. Keen to help other disabled people share in the thrill of the ride, he is also currently in hot pursuit of a land speed record.
Like Eric, Talan sees no limits – only new horizons.
Over and out for April, Emily