Eve Allison
One of 10 children with nine brothers and sisters, Eve has had many adventures and tragedies in her life, with the lowest moment being when her 36 year old brother Carlton was found murdered by his work colleagues in East London in 2001, a year after Eve moved to Norland Ward
Eve left her birthplace in Warwickshire and arrived in London with her two small children when she was 27. Eve, 58 in June, used to be an athlete, running 15,000 metre races and mini marathons. She also competed in javelin and shot put at County Championship level. She proved her stamina and resolve when she found herself fleeing a bad situation in Warwickshire. She ended up in a mother and baby unit in Chelsea, “I saw it all, drugs, prostitution. Completely by accident the local authority nominated me a house in Cambridge Gardens,” she explains.
Her determination also led to her gaining a BA honours degree in Psychology at UCL, which she studied part time soon after her arrival in London. Later Eve undertook a combined degree in Archaeology and Anthropology in 2009, completing it in 2012, which enabled long haul travel around the world.
While Eve was living in Notting Hill’s Cambridge Gardens she opened a market stall in Portobello. During the 15 years she ran the stall it grew from one stall to three, selling antiquarian and retro books, specialising in James Bond and old Penguins. “It was absolutely great," says Eve, whose young sons dressed in bunny outfits to attract buyers.
In 2014, Eve became Conservative councillor for St Helens ward (formerly St Charles), representing the 28 streets from Ladbroke Grove station to Latimer Road. “I just thought that I could do something and I was inspired by David Cameron who advocated one-nation politics,” says Eve, “People were surprised that I was Tory. I guess I decided to come out of the ‘closet.’ I have been supporting the Conservative Party since I was 14.”
My main thrust was to show that there is a social side to Conservatism. We have to have constant dialogue. I saw myself, and continue to see myself, as a bridge. “I consider myself to be a Lay Conservative Councillor without a seat and unpaid and who is still liaising with constituents,” says Eve. “To date I am the Chair of Norland Ward. Still possessing much fire in my belly and energy of which I hope to utilise again. I didn’t have any fight left but have a lot of energy. I do what I like to do, which means having a dialogue and being honest. I was a bit outspoken about the Grenfell Tower fire, but didn’t have one email of complaint. I think it is very important that Conservatives know a different epoch has come and gone and [they] must have more inclusivity.”
One thing that is important to post out, maintains Eve, is that: “Diversity is not equality. You need to be able to do the job. If you just walk the walk and talk the talk, it does not mean you can do the job. Growing up in Warwickshire there were small pockets of other ethnicities, these being Hindus and Jews, but I was the only brown girl in my whole year at school, and didn’t know I was different until I was older. My late mother’s family was originally from Jamaica and my father from Cuba, but I don’t believe in having filters within filters. We are who we are and we are what we are. In the 1950’s my father’s was the first brown foot to step in Warwickshire. Without any animosity he was the only one. [He worked hard and did well, buying two houses.] I am not trying to change the narrative, just trying to show that we can have narrative within politics.”
