Our Patch april 2015
E
ver opened the door and
found a celebrity standing
there, keen to open up a
storybook and read to any
young inhabitants?
It might sound unlikely,
but that is exactly what television
presenter Janet Ellis does each week.
The former Blue Peter star – and
longtime Hammersmith resident –
may be busy with TV work including
Channel 5 show The Wright Stuff, but
she is determined to share her love of
reading with local children.
Armed with a rucksack full of books,
a small stool and an enthusiasm for
reading, Janet is all set for her rounds
as a volunteer for the Doorstep Library
Network charity.
“It’s always a personal satisfaction if
the children read and enjoy a book I
used to love,” explained Janet, who
has worked with the charity since
2011 and is the mother of singer
and Strictly Come Dancing star Sophie
Ellis-Bextor. “I’ve introduced books
like The Borrowers, The Silver Sword
and Five Children and It.”
Her storytelling role has also seen
Janet start ‘cross-referencing books’
with those enjoyed by her three
grandchildren: Sonny, 10; Kit, six; and
Ray, two.
The fact that Janet’s volunteering is
quite literally on the doorstep – with
her reading to children at their homes
in the Wormwood Scrubs area –
resonates with the rest of her life.
The energetic presenter moved to
Hammersmith 25 years ago, when
daughter Sophie, now 35, started
attending Godolphin & Latymer school.
The whole family is so entrenched
in the area that Sophie’s children now
go to John Betts primary school, while
Janet’s son Jackson, 27, and daughter
Martha, 24, are also close by.
Summer is wonderful as you
might get a whole group of
children crowding around
to hear the stories
Even husband John Leach has his
office in Fulham Palace Road.
“We just love it,” revealed Janet,
who will celebrate her 60th birthday
this year. “The river is wonderful, and
we are very close to Ravenscourt Park.
I feel we are very spoilt for choice with
restaurants as well, as we have virtually
8/9
Janet Ellis takes her
pick of the books at
the Doorstep Library
Network’s office
in Dawes Road, Fulham
every type of cuisine within walking
distance. My favourite is L’Amorosa
in King Street, as they do a wonderful
osso bucco.”
Janet admits the area is undergoing
great change, however, and points out
the differences since she was working
on Blue Peter in the 1980s.
For a start, the iconic Television
Centre in White City is about to
undergo a major redevelopment, and
the much-loved Blue Peter garden has
moved to the BBC’s new HQ in Salford.
“I was really sad when TV Centre
closed,” admitted Janet. “It is a shame
not to have that purpose-built centre
with all the offices and production
on site.”
But she is excited about the future of
the arts in the borough, with the Bush
Theatre having settled into its new
home in Uxbridge Road, and the Lyric
about to unveil its multi-million pound
extension in April.
Not only is Janet on the board
of the Lyric, but the theatre is a top
destination for the family, who always
makes sure to get tickets for the panto,
and are excited about the upcoming
Bugsy Malone show, which will be
the performance that launches the
makeover next month.
The project to redevelop the Riverside
Studios is also on Janet’s radar, as she
believed the old site was an ‘underused
resource’.