Catherine Wilson (1940 – )

Biography: Born in Dumfries, Catherine Wilson from the age of seven spent much of her time travelling – her father being a professional diplomat. Islay provided the family with a welcome refuge, and she has recently made the island her permanent home. Catherine Wilson took a degree at Edinburgh University and then studied art at Ruskin College of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford, and at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, then went on to train as a teacher in East Africa. She began writing, working on plays with her African pupils and produced three prize-winning plays for the Kenya Schools Drama Festival. After returning to England in 1968 she joined the BBC as a writer/producer, and wrote educational text books and later trained as an art therapist.