Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2014 | Page 11

INTERVIEW
Born in Donaghadee, County Down
in 1942, Sally's great, great aunt is Mrs
Isabella Beeton, who wrote and compiled
the best-seller ‘Household Management’.
When it was first published it sold more
copies than any other book, apart from
the Bible. Her great, great Grandfather,
Samuel Smiles was another well-known
Victorian author.
Sally’s parent's moved to Cheshire
where her father, Neville Ford, worked
for a paper company. When her mother,
Patricia became an MP the family moved
to London. Sally's education continued
at Heathfield School, Ascot. She smiled:
“We didn’t learn much, apart from how
to play tennis, sew, and have fun. My
mother used to say ‘no one is likely to
employ you, so you better find a nice
husband’. So I was on the look-out for
a kind husband from the moment I left
school and managed to hook the best!”
Sally went to work at Conservative
Central Office for the then Chairman, Sir
Edward du Cann. While she was there she
met her husband-to-be Michael Grylls
who served as the Conservative MP for
Chertsey, later to become North West
Surrey, for 29 years.
“I think Mickey started dating
me because I was willing to go out
'canvassing' with him in Fulham where
he was the then Conservative candidate!

I was 22 when we got married,
but before I went off to work
and travel in the United States.
I had a marvellous time, and
when I returned I was ready to
settle down.”
She explained: “My
grandfather, Sir Walter Smiles,
was drowned in 1953 in the
Princess Victoria disaster.
The Stranraer to Larne car
ferry sank with no survivors.
It went down within sight
of the family home. It was
terrible for my grandmother.
My grandfather was MP for
North Down. My mother,
Patsie, then succeeded him
as MP in the subsequent
by-election.
“My father and my
grandmother looked after
me and my sister Mary Rose while
our mum commuted between
Parliament and N. Ireland. It was
an unsettling time for us and
my parents sadly divorced. My
mother didn’t stand again for
Parliament at the next General
Election. Instead, she met and married
my step-father, Sir Nigel Fisher, who was
MP for Surbiton, Surrey.
Michael and Sally's daughter, Lara was
born shortly after they were
married. Then after eight years
of miscarriages Sally made the
decision to take to her bed for
nine months to better ensure
the safe arrival of a second child.
She said: “The result was Bear so it was worth putting my feet
up for so long! Fortunately I
love my bed!"
Bear was born Edward,
but was nicknamed Bear by
Lara at an early age. Sally
laughed: “Because Bear was
a lot younger than his sister,
he tried so hard to keep up
with her. She and her friends
were always daring him to do
outrageous things. I remember
once when he was a toddler
finding him tucking into a raw
rasher of bacon which one of
Lara’s friends had dared him
to eat!”
Lara later started her own
successful public relations

business. She sold her share in the
company after she got married to James
Fawcett and had their three children,
Mungo, Bevan and Tallulah. However
Lara bought back the company last year.
Bear was born in London, went to schools
on the mainland, and married Shara
Cannings-Knight. They have three sons,
Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry.
Sally continued: “My family come to the
Island whenever they can, but all have
very busy lives. When he is not filming
abroad, Bear spends much time visiting
scout boot-camps. It is a very great
privilege for him to have been selected
as Chief Scout. It is a position that is
nominated by the scouts themselves
from all over the world and then they
elect their Chief. Bear takes this role very
seriously. There are 42,000 young people
hoping to become a scout and Bear is
focussed on encouraging young adults to
give up a bit of their leisure time to come
forward as leaders.”
Sally added: “I don’t think Bear had any
real designs on becoming a scout when
he was young. He was an enthusiast
Beaver and Lara became a Brownie
because at the time it was the fun thing
for children to do.”
Sailing brought Michael and Sally to
the Island. Six members of the House
of Commons Yacht Club, including Sir
Michael, bought a share in a 'Daring'
called ‘Division Belle’. Sally recalls: “They
were delightful owners but not all were
very expert sailors. One or two of them
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