Local Heroine Clare is awarded MBE

Gong from Queen for giving help to depressed new mums

Clare Delpech, Founder of Dawes Road based organisation The Association for Post-Natal Illnesss, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to mental healthcare.

Clare co-founded the APNI in 1979 to help women who suffer from post-natal depression after experiencing the illness herself following the birth of her third daughter Camilla.

During her recovery, she corresponded with Professor Merton Sandler, and with his active encouragement, and that of her psychiatrist the late Dr Gilli Oppenheim, they founded the Association for Post-natal Illness.

Since that time, apart from a break of two years, Clare has been actively involved with the Association, firstly as Secretary for 20 years and then as Treasurer, a post that she holds today.

Clare graduated in Biochemistry from Chelsea College, London University in 1975. She went on to do research towards a PhD but this was cut short by her illness.

From 1980 to 1997 Clare and a business partner ran a printing firm, and she then spent a year working in pre-print production. In 1999 she went to work as a Teaching Technician in the Biochemistry Teaching laboratories at Imperial College.

In 2006 Clare was awarded an MSc in Clinical Neuroscience with Immunology from Roehampton University. Clare has five grown up daughters and a grandson.

June 14, 2009