Diana Lamplugh OBE

n Diana Lamplugh OBE, campaigner for personal safety. Born: 30 July, 1936, in Cheltenham. Died: 18 August, 2011, in London, aged 75.

In 1986 when her daughter Suzy disappeared Diana Lamplugh bravely helped the police with their investigation. She was graciously balanced in her comments and maintained a defiantly purposeful public manner. At the first press conference she displayed remarkable courage: with head held high she strode into a crowded conference and announced: “I am Suzy Lamplugh’s mother.”

She went on to work for the improvement of personal safety training and education and, by setting up the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, campaigned for a variety of safeguards in the legal system. These included the licensing of minicabs, safer car parks and for stalking to be recognised as a criminal offence.

Suzy Lamplugh was a 28-year-old estate agent in west London. In the normal course of her job she arranged to meet a man named “Mr Kipper” so he could view a house in Fulham. Later that night her car and purse were found nearby but, despite a major police search, she was never seen again. The case was never solved and the police reopened their investigations in 1998 and 2000 but were unable to discover a body.

In 2000 the police arrested John Cannan, who was already serving a life sentence. Police named him as the chief suspect but did not proceed with the prosecution and the investigation still continues. As recently as last year the police, using radar equipment, launched a fresh search for her remains in Worcestershire.

Diana Elizabeth Howell was the eldest of four children and the daughter of a solicitor. Her mother was a teacher. Diana retained a great love of exercise and the outdoors all her life. Her education was hampered by dyslexia. She left school at 16 and took a secretarial course. Her first job was with the touring Carl Rosa Opera Company and opera was to remain an abiding interest all her life. On returning to Cheltenham she met and married Paul Lamplugh in 1958 and they moved to London where he worked as a solicitor and she became personal assistant to Kenneth Adam, BBC TV’s controller of programmes. The Lamplughs enjoyed a lasting and happy marriage. Her fondness for keeping fit led Mrs Lamplugh to found a health and fitness regime called “Slimnastics”, which advocated weight loss through a healthy lifestyle. In the early 1980s there were more than 300 instructors in Britain and Mrs Lamplugh wrote several books offering advice on healthy eating with exercise and stress management tips.

But her most demanding creation was the Suzy Lamplugh Trust which she set up in December 1986. The charity raised money for self-awareness courses for people at work, but over the years has become involved in improving safety levels at work and in public places. It was her drive and energy which forced the trust to become so well known and, in turn, to be taken seriously in Whitehall and with the legislators.

Perhaps Mrs Lamplugh’s most successful campaigns were the measures that were introduced to combat harassment and stalking, the registration of sex offenders and registration of minicabs. Her tireless endeavours on behalf of the trust remained steadfast despite some unfortunate reporting on Suzy’s private life and, in 2002, when her youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was abducted.

The previous year Mrs Lamplugh had the gratification of receiving a cheque for £500,000 from the government to assist in the setting up an International Personal Safety Centre in London’s King’s Cross. It was a recognition of the work that Mrs Lamplugh had undertaken over 20 years for the benefit of others. She was a strong, articulate lady who remained practical and down-to-earth. “If I had a long face and was dressed in black, I wouldn’t get my message across,” she once said in an interview. “It certainly wouldn’t bring Suzy back either.”

Speaking earlier this year, after the police informed her there was not enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution after the investigation in Worcestershire the Lamplugh’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth, said: “More than anything it was incredibly significant for Mum. When we came out of our meeting with the police, she said, ‘I now feel they’ve done everything they could do.’”

Diana Lamplugh was awarded an OBE in 1992 and four honorary doctorates for her work. She and her husband were awarded the Beacon prize for leadership in personal safety. She also wrote books, training manuals and articles in many magazines and newspapers.

In 2003 Mrs Lamplugh suffered a severe stroke and was subsequently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She spent the rest of her life in care where her devoted husband visited her daily. He, along with their three children, survive her

Alasdair Steven