Chrissie Maher facts for kids

Chrissie Maher OBE (born in 1938) is well-known for helping people understand complicated language. She co-founded the Plain English Campaign, an organization that works to make sure official documents and business papers are easy to read. Chrissie believed that everyone, no matter their education, should be able to understand important information. She was inspired by people like Sir Ernest Gowers and George Orwell, who also championed clear writing.

Chrissie's Story

Chrissie Maher grew up in a poor part of Liverpool called Tuebrook. She was one of six children. She didn't get much formal schooling and couldn't read well until she was a teenager. At 14, she started working at an insurance company. Her first boss paid for her to go to night school, which helped her learn more. Later, she worked in a sewing factory and as a receptionist.

In the 1960s, Chrissie became very involved in helping her community. By 1971, she was married with four children and still lived in Tuebrook. She knew many adults, like herself, had trouble reading and writing. She wanted to help these people, especially those who were struggling financially and found it hard to fill out important forms for benefits.

In 1971, Chrissie started the UK's first community newspaper, the Tuebrook Bugle. This newspaper gave her a chance to write articles demanding that organizations use plain English. In 1974, she launched The Liverpool News, which was the UK's first newspaper specifically for adults who had difficulty reading. Many of the ideas that later formed the Plain English Campaign were first put into action through these newspapers.

Chrissie was also a member of the UK's National Consumer Council until 1979. During this time, she started the Salford Form Market. This was a place where people could get help filling in forms. This project eventually led to the creation of the Plain English Campaign. Chrissie officially launched the Plain English Campaign at an event in London in 1979.

In 1994, Chrissie Maher gave an example of the confusing language she fought against. She pointed out that Britain's National Health Service had a definition for the word bed that was 229 words long! Tom McArthur, a famous language expert, said that the Plain English Campaign was the most powerful movement ever to influence the English language from the ground up.

Awards and Honours

Chrissie Maher has received many awards for her important work:

• 1993: She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special award from the Queen for people who have made a big difference.
• 1995: She received an honorary MA degree from Manchester University.
• 1997: She received an honorary doctorate from the Open University.
• 2000: Chrissie, along with disability rights campaigner Lord Morris of Manchester and World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee, were called "Information Pioneers of the Century" by the UK's National Information Forum.
• 2010: She received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University for her work in communication.
• 2010: She won "Public Affairs Achiever of the Year" and "Outstanding Achiever of the Year" at the 'Women in Public Life' awards.

See also

• Simple English Wikipedia
• Golden Bull Award