THE death of Alderman Flick Rea last week has left the New Journal inundated with tributes. It was impossible to print them all in the last edition, but we are publishing them here online.
• As well as being my mentor, Flick was a dear friend.
Whenever a resident raised an issue I didn’t know the answer to, I’d call her. Very often, within an hour or two of our phone call, we would be sitting at her kitchen table putting the world to rights over glasses of whiskey and cigarettes.
It was rare that we needed to discuss the casework I had come to talk about for very long, for she knew exactly who to contact and how to deal with it. Our conversations would soon move on to various topics, sometimes going on until the early hours: our families, aspects of history and literature, as well as the latest local gossip. It was surprisingly rare that we disagreed. I will miss our friendship deeply; my only regret is that we hadn’t met sooner.
As many people who are involved in their communities know, finding your feet as a new councillor can be a challenge. Without Flick being a phone call away, I can’t help but think about how much more daunting it feels.
WILL COLES, Liberal Democrat councillor
• A lynchpin, no, THE lynchpin for Camden Lib Dems, Flick was loved by us, feared and admired by the opposition – and brilliant at bringing new people into the fold, myself included. Always encouraging and
supportive.
The Mayor-making on 20th May was the first time since I became a councillor in 2022, that Flick was not watching the Council webcast, linked to our What’s App group, offering witty comments,
excellent retorts and hugely supportive “Well done!”s. She will be so much missed and no eye was dry when we got the news; but she has built a strong legacy which we are all committed to taking forward.
JUDY DIXEY, Liberal Democrat councillor
• I first served with Flick in 1990, when she was a group of two (she’d been on since 1986). It’s hard to remember now, but there was a fair bit of gentle patronizing from the Tory chief whip, and no doubt also from the Labour side, as Camden got used to multi-party politics. Flick seemed to get the balance right between fighting her corner and not reacting to every apparent slight.
Flick was also part of a gang of cross party woman councillors, including my late wife Rita, Nicola Kutapan (a slightly semi-detached Labour member) and the late mayor Barbara Hughes. I have no idea what they got up to, but think drink and tobacco involved.
In 2006 Flick was of course no longer leader of the LibDem group – power came a little late on for her, and the realities of a local coalition meant she didn’t get her dream environment portfolio (we spent three days haggling on that). She was very gracious as elder stateswoman, even if occasionally irritable at 0800 political cabinet meetings on Friday mornings, and irritable (easy to do) at the bumptious Tory environment lead. But of course, the culture/sport portfolio was also tailor-made for her, and she was also crucial in making sure the LibDems, with many new councillors, drove the administration forward.
In the LibDem-Con administration in 2006, she was, of course, among many things, the portfolio holder for the Olympics. We forget just how much Olympic related activity there was in every borough. But since we were out of power by the actual 2012 Olympics, I am unclear whether Flick ever received any tickets of value!
ANDREW MARSHALL, former councillor
• Today has been a really difficult day, not least because I was saddened by the news that Alderman Flick Rea has passed away.
I remember meeting Flick for the very first time at the age of 20. Energetic and fierce, I remember thinking “I better not get on the wrong side of her”. I even remember coming home and telling my late mother how fierce Flick was. However, beneath that feistiness was a warm, caring gentle giant who I grew to love and absolutely adore, and she was just as loving and caring towards me.
Flick and I bonded over an envelope, which she was writing for an election. I soon joined her, and got to know her. Her love for people no matter where you were from was clear, and we soon got to know each other more and more over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.
The energy and love she had for people, along with her smile made it really difficult to say no to her, and it soon became a ritual every Christmas, digging out my mum’s Christmas Cake recipe, which I baked for her at Christmas every year.
The stories she would tell and the laughter we had together will stay with me forever. Flick was known as the mother of the Lib Dem Group in West Hampstead. We often turned to her for advice and if she didn’t agree with you, she would quickly let it be known.
We always thought she would go on forever, and it is heartbreaking to think that she is no longer with us. Hopefully, we can have a memorial bench perhaps in Fortune Green in your honour, you will be sorely missed. Thank you for the dedication, love and kindness you have shown me over the years. Love you Flick! May you rest in peace.
DAVI KOTHARI
Sir Ed Davey and Alderman Flick Rea last year
• Flick was one of those rare people who filled a room the moment she entered it. Sharp, funny, fiercely intelligent and impossible to ignore. So many people knew her publicly through decades of service and political life, but as a neighbour and friend I was lucky enough to know the warm, witty and deeply human woman behind it all.
Perhaps it was the actress in her, but Flick had impeccable timing and a gift for storytelling.
She could make people roar with laughter even in difficult moments. Conversations with Flick could move effortlessly from local/national/world politics to history, food, books, gossip and back again, usually with a perfectly timed one-liner somewhere in between.
What I will remember most is her spirit. Flick was determined, curious, resilient and always engaged with the world around her. West Hampstead and Fortune Green will feel very different without her voice, her presence and her formidable personality. I will miss her enormously.
JILL HENRY
• It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Flick Rea, whom I have known since my family and I moved to Fortune Green in 1978.
Our house overlooks Hampstead Cemetery, and when a boundary wall collapsed, Flick was enormously helpful and supportive. Later, she encouraged a group of us to apply for a Heritage Lottery Award, which led to the establishment of The Friends of Hampstead Cemetery.
Flick’s dedication to the local community, her energy, and her commitment to preserving the cemetery and its history made a lasting difference. She brought people together and inspired others to become involved.
BERNARD HEYMANN, Friends of Hampstead Cemetery
• Flick was incredible in so many ways but I remember how much she supported me when I was first elected in 2014, and showered me with advice, tea, and useful tips as we got to grips with being lone councillors for our different parties. Genuinely a wonderful human with a huge heart and public service ethos.
SIAN BERRY MP
• To sit in the council chamber with Flick was to witness an object lesson in forthrightness. Flick did not mince her words, suffer fools or dither. Her delivery of strongly held conviction was refreshing as was her disregard for many of the strictures of convention. We might not have agreed with all she said but hugely respected her and very much doubt that her style will be matched.
STEVE ADAMS, Conservative councillor
• Our dear wonderful Flick. We will never forget her. To me she was an example of a true superwoman.
She professed she came into politics late and simply wanted to get things done. Not for her, retirement and resting on her laurels; her intelligence remained as sharp as a pin; she saw all sides to an argument but was able to direct a barb to anyone, anytime she thought fit. However, they were never mean or malicious, it was simply what she thought.
She was contributing to our constituency work, from her hospital bed, with her wisdom, experience and wit, right up to 3 days before she died. RIP Flick, your spirit lives on.
LINDA CHUNG. Liberal Democrat councillor
• I have known Flick for nearly 50 years as a friend, a fellow Committee member of West Hampstead Amenity and Transport and a political opponent.
Many years ago we campaigned together to prevent Camden Coucil implementing what is known today as “low traffic neighbourhoods”.
Flick’s drama background and the ability to seize the room with a passionate discourse helped significantly to win our case with me supplying the logic of our argument. In the following years we collaborated on many West Hampstead initiatives, such as the two railways and tube interchange, the making human the property developments in our area and the defence and improvements to Fortune Green.
Our different political allegencies amused us but never marred our freindship. We were probably used to the political cycle that every few years pushed Lib/Dems to success locally and Labour into the wilderness but was in time reversed. In a personal sense Flick was above this cyclical event retaining her seat in Fortune Green ward for over 30 years.
Flick’s political and community success was built on the hundreds of contacts and frienships she had made as an activist. As a local Councillor she was very effective with an immense knowledge of how Camden Council worked and who to contact to get something fixed.
My final memory of Flick is her New Years Day parties at her house with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
GEOFF BERRIDGE
Chair, West Hampstead Amenity and Transport.
• Dear Flick was always there to help and support. She often said to phone her between 11 pm and 1am as she would return home to unwind after a council meeting so would be pleased to talk then.
She was conscientious , always following up with concerns and being able to point you in the right direction of who to go to. get things resolved, She started off as my council representative and became a friend. An amazing woman, so knowledgeable, caring, and a stalwart , a defender of what was right,
• Flick was truly one of a kind. She was resolutely herself, bringing charm, sharp wit and originality to the council chamber. Her speeches were never short and never boring.
She loved her community and served them assiduously, it was rare to meet someone from fortune green who didn’t know and love Flick.
Flick was always incredibly kind to me – coming up to give me tips on posture and projection from her acting days. She is someone who gave so much to Camden and should be remembered as one of the borough’s great public servants.
GEORGIA GOULD MP, former leader of Camden Council
• Anyone who walks up West End Lane or Fortune Green Road will see, even if they don’t realise it, the impact Flick Rea had on West Hampstead & Fortune Green. The library, open because she fought for it; West End Green where she organised a Christmas Tree every year; the junction with Mill Lane where she got the council to remove the traffic lights that were causing mayhem; Fortune Green where even now the signs are going up advertising the annual Jester Festival that she was part of founding and in which she was involved until her final weeks.
Flick was the model of a Liberal Democrat community politician, serving as a councillor for 35 years. She was interested in everything and everyone, and fiercely proud of her ward. No-one sneezed in Fortune Green without Flick knowing about it. She knew who to go to get things done, and always saw her role as representing residents at the Town Hall, rather than the other way round.
Most of all, Flick believed that people’s lives matter, that community matters, and that it is the role of the council and councillors to enable them to flourish. It is my privilege to have served with her as a councillor, and to have volunteered with her in this community.
JANET GRAUBERG, Liberal Democrat councillor
• Flick Rea gave so much to Fortune Green, always with warmth and an unwavering commitment to local people. I knew her for a relatively short period of time, but long enough to know she was extraordinary.
In the lead up to my selection as candidate for Fortune Green, she invited me to her famous kitchen table and spent an entire evening deepening my knowledge of the ward. The people, the history, and what truly mattered.
After my selection, wanting to thank her, I asked what she’d made of me. One word: “Adequate.” Classic Flick. Generous with her time, sharp, and holding us all to the highest standards. She will be greatly missed.
FARRELL MONK, Liberal Democrat councillor
• We are deeply saddened by the passing of Alderman Flick Rea MBE, a towering figure in Camden public life whose dedication to her community shaped the borough for generations.
For more than 35 years, Flick served the people of Fortune Green with extraordinary commitment. Flick combined fierce determination with wit, warmth, and an unmistakable independent spirit, leading her to become one of Camden’s longest-serving Councillors.
Her contributions were rightly recognised throughout her lifetime: receiving an MBE for services to local government, being made an Honorary Alderman of Camden, and most recently being named among the Camden New Journal’s “Camden List” of the borough’s most influential and inspiring figures.
Flick Rea was was an institution in Camden life. She was fearless in debate, deeply loyal to her constituents, and respected across political divides. At this sad time, Camden Labour’s thoughts are with her family, friends, Liberal Democrat colleagues, and the many residents whose lives she touched through decades of tireless public service.
Camden is better because Flick Rea was part of it, and her legacy will endure for many years to come.
SAGAL ABDI-WALI, Labour councillor, leader of Camden Council
• I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Flick Rea a marvellous community supporter. We will all remember her as an untiring worker who gave her time liberally for the benefit of others. I was able to see how she never seemed to lose energy when issues affecting us all came to light. I would meet her as an enthusiastic member of WHAT and the Friends of West Hampstead Library. She worked so hard for others. She will be missed.
• I first met Flick about 20 years ago when I moved to the area onto Sidings estate. We got very involved with each other trying to improve the play facilities on offer in Maygrove Peace Park. Such was her magnetism was that later on she got me to stand alongside her as a Lib Dem council candidate in 2018 for Fortune Green ( which I never would have considered otherwise)!
Anyway I loved her and she had a positive on me and lots of other people in the area. Let’s face it, you can’t say that about a lot of people.
TRACEY SHACKLE
• Today, I reflect on the life and legacy of Flick Rea, a true woman of substance whose passion for community, people, and public service left a lasting mark on all who knew her. Flick had a remarkable way of bringing people together and opening doors to everything that makes West Hampstead such a special place to call home.
She introduced me to the heart of the community — its people, its events, its causes, and its spirit. With her warmth, determination, and infectious enthusiasm, she inspired so many of us to become involved and to care deeply about our neighbourhood. Flick was also a woman it was very hard to say no to; her gentle persistence and belief in people encouraged us to do more than we thought possible.
Through her guidance and friendship, she made me proud to be a Liberal Democrat and showed me the importance of standing up for community values, fairness, and compassion. Her dedication to West Hampstead was unwavering, and her influence can still be seen in the many lives she touched and the strong sense of community she helped build.
Flick will be remembered not only for what she achieved, but for how she made people feel — welcomed, valued, and inspired to contribute. Her legacy will continue to live on in the community she loved so dearly.
• Flick was truly one of a kind. Fearless, funny, fiercely intelligent, and utterly devoted to Camden and the people she served.
I had the privilege of serving as a councillor alongside her in Fortune Green for seven years. I always valued her dedication to the ward and encyclopaedic knowledge of all things West Hampstead, and often enjoyed sharing a glass of wine (or three!) at her house after a long meeting.
Flick leaves behind an enormous legacy across Camden, and I think the council would be a better place if we were all a little bit more like her – braver, more principled, and more fearless in standing up for what we believe in and the people we serve.
My thoughts are with her family, friends, and everyone in the community mourning her loss. She will truly be missed.
LORNA JANE RUSSELL, Green councillor
• Felicity Marion Peel Rea. Or as her friends called her, Flick. What can I say about her that hasn’t already been said?
As someone who grew up in this beautiful borough of Camden, as well as a relative novice to the world of local politics, I admittedly know a lot less about her on the personal level than many in the borough, let alone our local party.
I know a lot about the politician. The legendary queen of West Hampstead. Fortune Green’s councillor of 35 great years, who snatched victory time and again from the jaws of defeat. The lady who used her background in acting to vehemently and tactfully argue her point of view, whether it was her response to party political defections or something as seemingly minor as the ”draconian” and ”bureaucratic” treatment of busking by Camden Council. Who was once in contention to be Mayor of Camden, having refused the role herself.
The only Camden Lib Dem councillor to remain after the turbulence of the 2014 local elections. Who was so well known, I have met people as far south as Lambeth who knew her. Ed Davey even celebrated the anniversary of her membership of our party, be it liberal, democratic or otherwise, back in 2024. I’ll always remember the first time I saw her in an online hustings asking for donations for the local party with her bucket, leaving an impression, as she always did.
But, perhaps tragically, in retrospect, I never really knew the person, the human, behind that visage. I only ever met her about 3 times in the real world.
The first of which was actually my first event with our local party, celebrating the return of Janet Grauberg to the Council.
You can imagine how excited I must have been to meet her and former mayoral candidate, Rob Blackie, having read about her online. I still remember awkwardly saying bye to her about 3 times in a very formal manner, unsure if she could hear me. Good thing she definitely didn’t remember, as she introduced herself to me, saying something along the lines that we hadn’t met, the 3rd time we met (the 2nd time being at a campaign event outside my local Waitrose), and we had a real conversation, the only one we would ever have. Funnily enough, she actually knew me from my texts in our campaign chat. Perhaps I sent too many links I found interesting, judging from her reactions to them sometimes.
The following conversation was what you would expect her to ask of someone my age. I told her my university and the subject I was reading (that was perhaps the first time I heard the word reading in that context in natural conversation), that being history.
After that, we had a lovely conversation about the types of history that fascinated us (something her son Robert apparently used to do with her) and so on and how I wanted to be a historian before I wanted to be a politician. To which she gave a fascinating response about the two being correlated, with a laugh and a smile. Which I would be inclined to agree with.
She genuinely seemed like such a nice person, beyond the initial thorniness of being unfamiliar with her. The deeply intimate and personal stories in relation to her I have read and heard over the past 2 days, both within and outside the party as well as from her own mouth, have only endeared me to her.
She cared a lot about her friends and cared even more about her community in West Hampstead, and knew very well of the responsibilities that came with being a councillor. She was level-headed, down to earth and true to her principles. She was, and still is, someone who unifies the world around her, no matter their walk of life, as seen in how we have all mourned her in the loving way we have. I only wish she were still around, so I could have gotten to have known the person behind the politics. Rest in peace, Flick. We all know you deserve it.
FARHAN ISLAM, Liberal Democrat activist from Swiss Cottage/South Hampstead.
