Eve Branson
Evette Huntley Branson (née Flindt; born 12 July 1924)[2][3] is a British philanthropist, child welfare advocate, and the mother of Richard Branson.[4][5]
Eve Branson | |
---|---|
Born | Evette Huntley Flindt[1] 12 July 1924[2] |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Founder and director of the Eve Branson Foundation Philanthropist Child welfare advocate |
Board member of | International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children |
Children | 3, including Richard and Vanessa |
Website | evebransonfoundation |
Life and career
Branson was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, the daughter of Dorothy Constance (Jenkins) and Major Rupert Ernest Huntley Flindt.[1][6] As a young adult, Branson served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRENS) during World War II. After the war ended, Branson toured Germany as a ballet dancer with Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA).[7] She later became an airline hostess for British South American Airways. After marrying, she ran a real estate business and was a military police officer and probation officer. She has written novels and children's books.[5]
At the age of eighty-nine, Branson launched her autobiography entitled Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson.
Charitable work
Throughout her life, Branson has been a child welfare advocate. She established the Eve Branson Foundation and currently serves as director. This charitable organisation provides communities in Morocco with income-generating projects and training.[5]
Branson is a member of the board of directors of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children ("ICMEC"), the goal of which is to help find missing children, and to stop the exploitation of children.[8][9] She was a founding member of ICMEC's board of directors in 1999, seeking to generate awareness of the Centre's work, and her son Richard was ICMEC's founding sponsor.[9][10]
Personal life
She was married to Edward James Branson, a former cavalryman. He died on 19 March 2011 in his sleep at the age of 93.[7]
In 2011, Branson escaped the fire at her son's Caribbean island home on Necker Island.[11]
References
- Finding Your Roots, 2 February 2016, PBS
- https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/happy-birthday-mum-9-photos-for-eves-90th-birthday
- Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson, 2013, pg 4
- It really is still all about Eve Branson. Daily Express. 24 September 2011
- "Eve's Story". The Eve Branson Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson, 2013, pg 3
- "Eve Branson talks to Saga Magazine". Saga Magazine. 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
- "ICMEC Board Members" Archived 3 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. icmec.org.
- Eve Branson (2013) Mum's the Word, p. 207.
- "International Children's Organization Expands Global Reach With Four New Board Members" Archived 29 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine. icmec.org.
- Elizabeth Day. "Eve Branson: 'I was not saved by Kate Winslet!'". The Guardian.