Averil Hart
who died as a result of failures by
University of East Anglia
Averil Hart was warm, kind-hearted, beautiful and academically excellent. Originally receiving an offer from Durham University, she followed her dream and decided to go to the University of East Anglia (UEA) to study one of her many passions, Creative Writing. UEA is recognised nationwide for its excellence in the teaching of Creative Writing. As an undergraduate subject, it had been taught informally since the University opened in 1963, with it being formally introduced in 1995.
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​​Averil was first admitted to hospital in 2011 due to Anorexia Nervosa, where she spent a further 10 months on Addenbrooke's S3 Unit. Even in the depths of her illness, she inspired those around her with her passion for life and her desire to fight this terrible illness. She would leave words of motivation on the board at the Inpatient Unit - reminding the other patients how important it was to recover and stay alive.
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The drive for Averil to get better was only amplified by her desire to go to this excellent University and fulfil her passion. Her love for literature and poetry never faltered even when she was away, finding strength in the words of others and reciting her favourite literature and poetry; 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers' by Emily Dickson was typed out and sent to her family in the early days of her recovery at Addenbrooke’s.
Averil Hart, our wonderful daughter, sister and friend, died at the tender age of 19 from anorexia, just ten weeks after starting at the University of East Anglia in December 2012.
Her death was the result of a lack of care in services and institutions that were meant to be keeping her safe.
How did Averil die while she was a student at UEA?
The University of East Anglia (UEA) failed in their duty of care to Averil Hart. When UEA accepted Averil into the University to study Creative Writing they failed to put in place reasonable safeguards to ensure her safety.
Having failed Averil while she was a student at UEA, they continue to fail her after her death.
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Even worse is the fact UEA has failed to engage properly with Averil's family to explain how they failed in their duty of care.
