Alison Kervin OBE, Dr Anna Johnson and Millie Walton join the judging panel for Touchlines of Fortitude

Three celebrated writers have joined the judging panel for Touchlines of Fortitude: a vibrant programme of exhibitions and free-to-attend events celebrating ‘Female Resilience’, which will be taking place in Twickenham and the surrounding area this September.

Thursday 21st August, 2025

Funded by Arts Council England and inspired by the upcoming 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Touchlines of Fortitude’s extensive programme of events will examine female strength in all its forms, and the many ways in which women rise, persist, endure and transform. Its aim: inspire young girls and women of all ages to push their boundaries, express their creativity and share their story.

This is why we’re especially delighted to announce that renowned rugby journalist Alison Kervin OBE – who was awarded the title for services to sports journalism – will be joined by writer, poet and lecturer Dr Anna Johnson, and writer and poet Millie Walton on the judging panel for written works submitted to Touchlines of Fortitude’s open-call. All three have been pioneers in their craft.

These judges join celebrated art critic Tabish Khan and award-winning figurative artist Karen Turner, who have already been confirmed on the judging panel for the open-call exhibition’s artistic works.

Touchline of Fortitude’s open-call exhibition is one of two exhibitions taking place at The Beach Gallery (197 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, TW11 8LX). The first, from Thursday 11th September to Sunday 21st September, will feature works by prominent local artists Agnieszka Lokaj, Gina DeCagna and Tahira Mandarino. The exhibition of art, photography, sculptures and written works that have been sourced through an open-call will follow from Wednesday 24th September to Sunday 5th October.

Prizes – generously provided by Hobbycraft and Karen Turner – of £25 Hobbycraft gift cards and The Art Of Instagram online course will be available for the best works in each class, while an overall winner will receive a £100 Hobbycraft gift card and The Strategy Reset Instagram online course.

Alison Kervin OBE will also be taking part in two of Touchline of Fortitude’s supporting events. First, a writing workshop on Saturday 13th September at 2pm – which will encourage women to share their own stories of female strength and resilience on the interactive ‘Wall Of Fortitude’ installation, which will be in-place at the Beach Gallery throughout both exhibitions.

Alison will then join rugby filmmaker Victoria Rush, director of the documentary No Woman No Try on Prime Video, and artist Kate Howe – the founder of RuptureXIBIT – for a talk on ‘Building Resilience’ at the Beach Gallery on Wednesday 17th September at 6pm.

Alison Kervin OBE is a renowned sports journalist with an extensive history in rugby coverage. As well as being the first woman to be sports editor of a national newspaper at the Mail On Sunday, she was the first female editor of Rugby World magazine, and the first woman to referee at Twickenham. She now runs Gold Medals Media Agency, running writing courses, hosting event panels and giving keynote speeches. She sits on numerous judging panels and is on the board of British Lacrosse. She was awarded an OBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours.

Dr Anna Johnson is a writer, poet and lecturer, with a particular focus on the complexity, strangeness and ambivalence of the experience of motherhood. This includes Anna’s upcoming full-length prose poetry work Motherhood: A Ghost Story (writing as Anna Brook), which is out with Broken Sleep Books in September 2025. Anna also lectures in creative writing and English literature at Kingston University, having recently completed a PhD in creative writing.

Millie Walton is a Somerset-based writer and founder of Babe Station: an art and research project that aims to support anyone who identifies as a mother or has experienced child loss. Millie recently curated ‘Sorry About The Mess’: a large-scale exhibition of writers and artists who are mothers on Shaftesbury Avenue, has led workshops in a range of London venues, and recently presented a solo exhibition of her moveable poems in Highgate. Her writing, spanning art criticism, fiction, and poetry, has been widely published in literary journals, artist monographs and magazines. 

Victoria Rush is a vastly experienced content creator, producer and filmmaker, who recently founded independent rugby media channel All 80 Rugby. Victoria’s rugby documentary ‘No Woman No Try’ – focusing on the challenges facing elite women rugby players off the pitch – recently made its debut on Amazon Prime Video.