User:OakRedwood/lipsum

Early life
Owen Spencer-Thomas MBE (born March 3, 1940) is a British radio and television news journalist and presenter, priest, former university chaplain, and acting dean. He is also a philanthropist and campaigner for autism.

Schools
Christ Church Cathedral Choir School.

Ardingly College.

Higher Education
He completed his MRAC in 1959 from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. In 1970, he received a BSc in Sociology from The Polytechnic and in 1971, he received his Certificate in Theology from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. He holds an LGSM from Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was awarded an Honorary DLitt by The University of Westminster.

He was the first President of the Student Union at the University of Westminster, then known as Regent Street Polytechnic.

On the 4th March 2008, Owen was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace for his services to the Church and the community.

He worked as Director of Communications for the Diocese of Ely, and was spokesman for the Bishop of Ely. Here he was also Editor for the Ely Ensign.

He was involved with organising the 900th anniversary celebrations of the Diocese of Ely. This included a visit from Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

Owen gave many talks on autism in his community. He was a trustee for the East Anglian Autistic Support Trust.

Owen was awarded an honorary DLitt be Westminster University for his services to Broadcast Journalism.

Career
He trained as a Priest at Westcott House, Cambridge in 1970, then became Curate at St Luke's South Kensington from 1972-1976 and a lecturer in Religious Studies at South Kensington Institute from from 1974-1976.

He had a License to Officiate in London from 1976-1987, and then worked as a non-stipendary member of the clergy at St Augustine's Church, Cambridge, as part of the Parish of the Ascension from 1987 to 2007.

He was Director of London Churches Radio Workshop and and Religious Producer for the BBC from 1976-1987.

Altogether Owen produced and frequently presented more than a hundred editions of Quest for BBC Radio London, before becoming an onscreen news reporter for Anglia Television in November 1978. While with BBC Radio London, he produced and presented an award-winning documentary about London's homeless, entitled Underneath the Arches.

He also hosted BBC Radio London's first ever phone-in, titled Your Call. His work here has been described as "legendary".

He also regularly produced and presented other programmes for this station, such as Your Call,  Frank Speaking, and Protest Without Violence.  Another show with this station was Sounding Brass, which was later presented by Gloria Hunniford and taken to Radio 2. He also produced programmes for BBC Radio 2's Pause For Thought in the year 2000.

In 1975 he presented and acted as interviewer for "A Multipurpose Church', a programme produced by Thames Television.

From 1978 to 1995 he worked for Anglian Television as a reporter and then editor.

In 1985 he presented and acted as interviewer for a late night "Epilogue" for HTV.

In 1977 he commentated for a short film about Olave Baden-Powell for World Wide Pictures, sponsored by the Girl Guides Association.

His expertise on Journalism and New Values have been featured on the A Level Sociology syllabus, in particular the role of mass media. He has also been quoted as a reputable source on Media and News Values in a number of other educational works around the world. His knowledge and expertise has also been quoted by other writers in various publications. This also includes his expertise on writing a press release.

His writing extends to sermons, some of which have been used in the University of Santiago de Compostela linguistics study on sermon style evolution.

He was Chaplain of St John's College School, Cambridge, from 1993 to 1998, and then Chaplain at St Bede's School from 1996-1997. He then became Chaplain of Christ's College, Cambridge, from 1997 to 2001, before becoming Director of Communications for the Diocese of Ely from 2002 to 2007. He then acted as the Bishop of Ely's Press Officer from 2007 to 2011, and was an Honorary Canon at Ely Cathedral from from 2004 to 2011.

He was Acting Dean of Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 2006.

Between 1997 to 2002, he worked as Company Director and General Manager of Displacement Plus Limited.

He raised over 1 million pounds for autism with a charity he ran from his front room.