Guernsey resident Jill Clark is being interviewed by Jane Garvey as part of the ‘Life changing’ series on BBC Radio.
The interview is on BBC Radio 4 at 09.00 on Wednesday 27th April.
Jill was involved in a boat accident in 1997 as she was leaving Herm to return to Guernsey. The boat Jill was a passenger on was hit by another boat and Jill was struck in the face by the boat’s anchor. She was seriously injured and flown to Southampton General Hospital. Over the next six years she underwent 20 operations and procedures to rebuild her skull and improve her eyesight.
Jill took part in the Life Changing interview with BBC’s Jane Garvey, where she explained how the event changed her life.
Jill says “The boat accident was an awful event and my recovery was a long one – but I wanted something positive to come out of this. My experience made me realise how obsessed with looks people are and we really need to stop judging people on their appearance. Some individuals are treated appalling because they look different – and it needs to stop”.
Jill now chairs two charities that support and campaign for individuals who have facial differences and disfigurements; local charity Changing Faces Channel Islands and global campaign group Face Equality International which she became involved with after meeting the late James Partridge who had life changing burns from a car accident as a teenager.
The programme is repeated on Thursday 28th April at 20.00 and is also available as a podcast on BBC Sounds.