Congratulations to Linacre Emeritus Fellow Dr Catherine Walter, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to English language learning and teaching at the British Council’s annual international English Language Teaching Awards ceremony in June, (Photo by David Lake)

Attendees at a reception at BMA House in London and thousands of online viewers of the livestream watched a tribute video in which colleagues spoke of Catherine’s groundbreaking research and her flair for communicating ideas clearly to a wide audience. She was praised for her intellectual clarity and honesty and her commitment to principled teaching and learning. Her skill in building capacity for sustainability in teacher education, her lifelong support for English language teachers and learners, and her passionate commitment to fairness and equality were cited by colleagues from around the world.  In her acceptance speech, Catherine expressed her sense of privilege in being a part of the worldwide community of language teachers, “helping people see themselves in one another by learning to communicate in a new language”.