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Pam Warren
Born	(1967-02-16) 16 February 1967
Occupation(s)	Professional speaker, author

Pam Warren (born 16 February 1967) is a professional speaker and author who became renowned in the United Kingdom as the 'Lady in the Mask' after suffering severe burn injuries in the Ladbroke Grove rail crash in 1999.

She is now best known for her charity work, public speaking and autobiographical book 'From Behind the Mask'.

Early Life

Pam Warren spent the first few years of her life in Singapore, before moving back to the UK with her mother when her parents’ marriage broke down.

Pam lived with relatives at the age of three while her mother worked, and did not see her mother during weekdays. She was also baptised Roman Catholic, has Hindu family on her mother's side and was adopted and raised in a Church of England family, to which she responds "is it any wonder I was further confused during my formative years!".

Ladbroke Grove rail crash

On the morning of 5th October 1999, Pam boarded the London bound First Great Western train at Reading Station, the train that would crash and cause her devastating injuries. At 08.07 BST the First Great Western collided head on with a Thames Turbo coming out of Paddington at over 130mph. A fireball from a ruptured fuel tank tore through Coach H of the First Great Western, the carriage Pam was on. 31 people died in the crash, and Pam was amongst 520 injured passengers. Pam was working as a financial advisor at the time of the incident. Due to her injuries, Pam was in a coma for three weeks and skin grafts were added to her leg, hands and face. She suffered severe burns and endured many gruelling operations by plastic surgeons. To minimise scarring, Pam was forced to wear a plastic mask over her face, this became an iconic image of the crash, and spurred the title of her book 'From Behind the Mask.'

Recovery

Pam was admitted to hospital for almost 3 months, in this time skin grafts were added to her legs, hands and face and she endured facial reconstruction surgery. She also developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. During her recovery, Pam began drinking heavily, and claims she was “horrified” by her behaviour – but was powerless to stop it. About a year after the crash, Pam attempted suicide by overdose, unable to deal with the devastation and pain caused by her injuries.

Urged to stop drinking by close friends Simon Weston, Janette and Helen, Pam stopped drinking completely for 12 consecutive months, throwing herself into campaigning and charity work. She describes this triumphant moment in her book; "I got home, grabbed every single bottle of booze in the house and poured it all down the sink. For the next twelve months I didn’t touch a single drop of alcohol".

Although recovered from her physical injuries, Pam still has a week-long bout of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder about twice a year and suffers from occasional flashbacks and nightmares.

Pam now speaks publicly about her ordeal, and has also retrained as a Project Manager. “Since overcoming life-changing injuries from the Paddington Train Crash of 1999, I have become a master of re-invention and a catalyst for change not just in my own life but in the lives and work of others. Building on my skills as a businesswoman and Independent Financial Advisor, I retrained as a Prince 2 Practitioner project manager and am now a Professional Speaker. I was the lead campaigner in securing a safer rail network for Britain and have since worked with a number of businesses and charities to help them achieve their goals and aspirations efficiently and effectively." - Pam Warren.

Pam's book 'From Behind the Mask' symbolises her journey to recovery, and Pam hopes that “if someone who feels life has got on top of them and they can’t go on reads my story and takes heart, that would be a real achievement”.

Television and Media

Pam has become a well-known public figure on radio and television across the United Kingdom. She has appeared on numerous high-profile television programmes, newspapers and radio shows prior to, and since the launch of her book, including ITV Meridian, ITV's This Morning, The Mirror News, Daily Express, The Sunday Times, Female First, BBC Radio London Jo Good Show, Magic FM, and various other radio channels including BBC Radio Swindon, BBC Radio Berkshire and Talk Radio Europe where she speaks openly about her ordeal. Pam also featured on the front page of various newspapers across 2000 and 2001, including The Daily Mail and The Mirror, and featured articles in The Sun, The Telegraph, The Evening Standard, Daily Express and Reading Evening Post.

Pam has also featured on Trevor MacDonald Tonight twice, including the 10th anniversary episode in 2001.

Charity Work

Pam is an ambassador for The Healing Foundation Charity based in London, a charity that supports people living with disfigurement and visible loss of function. Pam also represents and works with The Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust; a charity that strives to engage, enable and empower young people, and the Children's Burns Research Centre in the South West of England, funded by The Healing Foundation Charity.

Pam was also the lead campaigner in securing a safer rail network for Britain and formed the Paddington Survivors Group shortly after the crash.

From Behind the Mask

On 4th March 2014, Pam released a book, 'From Behind the Mask' telling the story of her experiences during the Paddington rail crash, her recovery, and how it has affected her life and relationships. Pam did previously attempt to write a book, however she felt the content was emotionally detached and describes her attempts as too "methodical". 'From Behind the Mask' is the successful outcome of her second attempt, and provides a "true, soul searching account of life both before, during and since the Paddington train crash".

In her book, Pam looks back at her ordeal and states that “ in no way negating all the pain and suffering it caused, in all honesty, I have to say the train crash is probably the best thing to ever happen to me," suggesting that facing death forced her to reinvent her life positively.

Personal Life

Before the crash in 1999, Pam was 32, married to husband Peter, and ran her own successful business. After the crash, Pam's relationship with Peter broke down and resulted in divorce, which she speaks openly about in her book; "I did not trust him anymore and without trust, one of the most important underpinnings of a relationship, we were ultimately doomed". Pam is now content being single.

Today, Pam is a professional speaker and speaks openly about her life and ordeal regularly across the media. Pam also organises charity events, and is involved with various Freelance/Consultancy projects.

Awards

In 2001, Pam was awarded the Frink Award at the Women of the Year Lunch. Pam was also awarded the Bob Cotton Citizen Award by Unison in 2001, and nominated for 'local hero' in the Pride of Reading Awards 2012.

External Links

Official Website