Television presenter, writer, critic, director, producer and charity director Kate Copstick was attacked in the street on Saturday (3rd September) by muggers who stole the £8500 in cash that she was taking home from the charity shop she runs in Shepherd's Bush, ahead of flying to Kenya to help women in need via her charity Mama Biashara
Copstick (66) has had a long TV career hosting in the 1980s and appeared on children's TV shows Playschool and No. 73 in the 1980s, and ChuckleVision in the 1990s. Marlene Marlowe Investigates, and performed as part of the ensemble cast of former Saturday morning BBC children's show On the Waterfront.
At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Copstick was a Perrier Comedy Award judge in 2003 and 2004 and now works as one of the most respected comedy critics at the Fringe – writing for The Scotsman each August.
In 2008 Copstick set up Mama Biashara - working with the poorest and most marginalised people in Kenya. The charity provides grants to set up small, sustainable businesses that bring financial independence and security, they offer training and employment in everything from phone repairs to manicures. They have built a children’s home, which they still support. They’ve created water-harvesting solutions for drought-devastated areas.
On Monday Copstick has planned to travel to Kenya, to provide funds to help a group of women fleeing female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and extreme violence.
Due to ongoing issues with accessing money from a UK Bank whilst in Kenya (well documented on her social media pages, ‘Verified by Visa’ can often flag and block transactions in error, which can take days to resolve and mean that vital and urgent work cannot be carried out) Copstick has found she must travel with an allocation of cash to avoid getting stuck whilst waiting for erroneous holds on the account to be lifted.
Last night, as she was walking home, she was attacked by two men in balaclavas, who grabbed her, put her in a chokehold, and when she screamed out, kicked her in the back of the leg, causing her to fall to the ground. They ripped open her backpack, and leaving her phone and purse on the floor, took only the envelope of cash and ran.
Copstick says “I was walking home, it wasn’t very late and the street I live on is very well lit, I heard running behind me and turned to see the kind of outfit you only normally see in TV dramas – someone dressed head-to-toe in black, with a full face balaclava. He grabbed for my bag and I began to scream and shout for help, he put me in a chokehold and suddenly a second man – dressed exactly the same – appeared. I thought they were going to kill me. They kicked me to the ground, took the money and ran. I live in a not-posh area of Shepherd’s Bush – there is crime, there are muggings, but it’s generally kids looking to steal a few quid – not full-grown men essentially dressed like ninjas. They didn’t take anything else, which sadly means I was very likely targeted, and that someone knew I would be carrying a significant amount of charity cash with me. I’m talking to the police about that now.”
Whilst bruised and battered, Copstick will physically recover, but the money that was stolen was due to be allocated to help a group of women escape from a situation where they would be forced to undergo FGM. The practice has been illegal in Kenya since 2011 but is still carried out in many areas. 400 rescues of this kind were done by Mama Biashara in August of this year alone, and a similar number was planned for September. Once the women are brought to safety, they are given training and resources to set up their own small business. This time the businesses will be the selling of second-hand bras, that Copstick has collected through the charity in the UK. The money also goes towards painkillers and antibiotics to help women they did not reach before the FGM took place.
Of the work the charity does, Copstick says “we are a very small charity, and whilst that comes with challenges of its own, it also means we are able to work on the ground, because we are known and trusted, we can access people in a way the bigger charities are not able to. The work we do saves lives, and saves people from a life of misery. We have women and girls in hiding, waiting to be rescued, if we can’t raise the money fast, they are in significant danger of being found and returned to the people who will hurt them.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Copstick replace the vital funds she needs to take to Kenya. If you would like to donate, please click here.
