SHARON HENDRY

Sharon Hendry is an award-winning journalist with over 20 years experience on British national newspapers.

During her career, she has specialised in campaigns and investigations which include exposing international adoption and human slavery rackets; tracking British paedophiles abroad and uncovering a plot to kill Russian dissident Boris Berezovsky in London.

In 2013 she was awarded the Best Investigative Article prize by the Speaker of the House of Commons for her work on child trafficking and acclaimed book Radhika’s Story: Human Trafficking in the 21st Century is being re-published this year.

Her campaigning work led to a commendation in the Feature Writer of the Year category at the 2020 UK Press Awards. Judges commented: Readers were so moved by her accounts of children in poverty that they put their hands in their pockets to contribute to a £1million Christmas appeal. She has also been long-listed for an Orwell Prize.

Sharon is also renowned for in-depth writing and interviews with a diverse range of well-known subjects ranging from Bill Gates to Katie Price.

In 2016 she launched Lemlem Media and continues to pursue her passion for journalism as a freelance writer, speaker and media adviser.

JOURNALISM

Former Millfield School pupil Sharon studied English Literature at Southampton University, between 1992 – 1995, before embarking on the respected Westminster Press journalism course in the same year.

She earned her stripes as a district reporter on the Bucks Free Press, in High Wycombe, before heading to Fleet Street as one of just five ‘Hall’s Angels’ – a handpicked group of young women recruited by then News of the World editor Phil Hall.

After a stint at the Daily Mail she returned to ‘Wapping’ to join The Sun’s features team. She held the titles of Women’s Editor and Assistant Features Editor before taking on the role of Senior Feature Writer. Later, as a freelance journalist, she worked as a speechwriter for the Modern Slavery Commissioner and embarked on a series of long-form social justice investigations for The Sunday Times Magazine.

THE SHARON HENDRY STORY

Ever since I can remember, I've written stories and been fascinated by people so journalism is a career that had my name etched on it from the age of 10 when I started editing my junior school magazine.

Since then, I've been lucky enough to travel the world and see humanity in all its guises working for national newspapers. Now many years later, I feel ready to steer my own ship, hopefully pointing my pen in new directions as well as retaining links with familiar friends.

My company is called LemLem because in the beautiful Amharic language of Ethiopia - a country I love - it means ‘to bloom and flourish’.

 
INTERVIEW WITH MILLFIELD SCHOOL

A little bit about your time at Millfield? I think I was lucky enough to be inspired by wonderful, eccentric and exceptionally clever teaching minds including Tim Nightingale, John Hill and Mike Milton (English) - and Peter Clarke (Spanish). I'll never forget 'Mr Nightingale' striding around his classroom bellowing out lines from Keats and Chaucer. He undoubtedly instilled a love of English literature in me which later inspired a successful career. Other highlights were the dance studio - a space where I could literally spin away from academic pressures and just be myself. I also loved the annual Mencap charity day where pupils who were sometimes a little - erm - grandiose would become more humble and show common humanity. 

What you did after leaving school? I read English Literature at Southampton before embarking on the Westminster Press journalism course which provided the springboard for a successful local - and later - national newspaper career on The Sun and The Sunday Times.

What you are doing now? After spending over 20 years writing stories about people in difficult situations all over the world, I began to consider how I could make more of a difference - particularly to children's lives. I became interested in psychoanalysis and - alongside my writing - I am currently undertaking a professional NHS doctorate in child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Any plans for the future? Keep learning. Keep thinking. I love the Christopher Hitchens quote: 'It's only when you have grazed on the lower slopes of your own ignorance and begun to understand the great vistas of nonknowledge that you have, that you can claim to have been educated at all.' 

Any advice for current students/OMs? When we are born, a dice rolls. Anyone who has access to a Millfield education has a very lucky roll of the dice. Try to give something back to those less fortunate. Be kind. See the glass half full. 

"Sharon’s passion, enthusiasm and incredible energy are evident in everything she puts her hand to. The many great pieces she’s written, often about difficult issues like child trafficking, have been taken to another level of excellence by her obvious emotional commitment and involvement with the subject."

Alan Edwards - CEO of the Outside Organisation