Coral Atkins
| Coral Atkins | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 September 1936 Richmond upon Thames, London, England |
| Died | 2 December 2016 (aged 80) West Berkshire Community Hospital, Thatcham, West Berkshire |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Known for | Opened and ran a home for disadvantaged children |
| Notable work | Emmerdale, A Family at War |
Coral Rosemary Atkins (13 September 1936 – 2 December 2016) was an English actress who opened and ran a home for disadvantaged children. She cared for 37 children over a period of 26 years.
Atkins was born in Richmond upon Thames, London, England. The family moved to Bucklebury when she was young, and she attended Shaw House School in Newbury before returning to London. During World War II Atkins and her sister were evacuated from London to rural England. In her memoir, Atkins stated that she and her sister had been beaten and neglected by caregivers.
Atkins began appearing on British television in the 1960s; her television credits included episodes of Dixon of Dock Green, Deadline Midnight, No Hiding Place,The Sweeney, Survivors, The Avengers and The Likely Lads. She also starred as Ruth Jameson in Emmerdale. Her best-known role was that of Sheila Ashton in the 1970s drama series A Family at War.
Atkins became interested in helping needy children after being invited to open a fair at a children's home in Manchester in 1970. She was upset at the level of deprivation and distress that she witnessed, and it reminded of her childhood trauma as a wartime evacuee. That same year, Atkins bought and renovated a thatched cottage called "Crossways" and sought funding to run it as a home. In 1971 she started taking in disturbed and needy children, all under the age of 10 and some as young as 18 months. She had no training or education in related fields, so she educated herself through reading books by psychiatrist R. D. Laing and studying child psychology and psychotherapy.
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