Sally Goldsmith

Associate Committee Member

Sally is a prize winning writer and broadcaster who discovered Carpenter through his biographer, Sheila Rowbotham, in the 1970’s. Finding him as an early exponent of many of the concerns of her own time – particularly feminism, socialism, gay rights and ‘living your politics’ – was both surprising and salutary. She later moved up north to try the communal life for herself. She worked as Outreach Officer for Sheffield City Art Galleries and later developed as a musician, singer and community artist. She invented new touring shows – Plotters and As We Walked Out - written out of research with, and respect for, ‘ordinary local people.’ She has written songs to be sung by Sheffielders in plays and lately a Sony award winning feature for BBC Radio 4 about the Chapeltown made Izal medicated toilet roll. Now winning prizes as a poet, she has published her first small poetry collection, Singer. She has researched many of Carpenter’s local connections with Sheffield and believes that a memorial “to this kind, brave and inspiring man” will be sought out by admirers from all over the world.

Rony Robinson

Associate Committee Member

Rony has lived much of his life as a writer and broadcaster and has a lifelong interest in Carpenter. After school in Sheffield he read Modern History at Oxford and edited the university newspaper Cherwell. Next a teacher in London schools, he wrote about them in The Ted Carp Tradition publicised as the ‘first novel to come out of the comprehensives.’ Twice resident playwright at the Crucible, his plays include Edward Carpenter Lives! and Free for All, set on one weekend out at Carpenter’s Millthorpe. His Faber novel The Beano about a brewery outing to Scarborough in 1914 was launched at Sheffield Central Library, turned into the seaside for the day, replete with pier, donkeys, sand and deckchairs. Last Loves, a play co-written with Sally Goldsmith for Radio 4 about sex among the elderly, won a Bronze Sony and five other awards. He has presented his programme on BBC Radio Sheffield since 1984, and published his memoirs Who’s Been Talking last year. His mother and grandparents met Carpenter and he treasures a signed photograph on his study wall. He hopes that a public memorial will be established soon in Sheffield.