Wife of the last governor of Hong Kong (1992-1997), Christopher Francis Patten, now Baron Patten of Barnes, Lavender Patten gave up her career as a family law barrister to accompany and support her husband in Hong Kong. After reading first classics, then law at St. Hilda's College, University of Oxford she was called to the bar in 1969. She currently works for MiD Mediation and Counselling in Twickenham, West London. She is also Patron of the Society for Support of Sick Newborn and Parents.
In March 1994 The Independent newspaper reported that Lady Patten was the patron of 57 Hong Kong charities and organisations. Hunter Davies, The Independent 8 March 1994. This number increased to over 70 according to Chris Patten.
The following represents a selection of Lady Patten’s often daily charitable activities recorded by Chris Patten in The Hong Kong Diaries, 2022.
13 August 1992 Meeting about equal pay and job opportunities for women with a view to visiting the women’s centre and the legal advice centre. These were issues in which Lady Patten was involved during her career as a barrister.
27 April 1993 Visited the International Social Services [ISS] which were providing educational services in the Vietnamese camps, but which were under threat of having their funds reduced by the UN Commissioner for Refugees.
1 October 1993 Visited Down’s Syndrome Centre at Tung Tau with David Tang and others.
15 November 1993 (Diary entry) “We have still got about 30,000 [Vietnamese migrants] in the camps. (…) Lavender has paid more visits to the camps than I have and had more meetings with the voluntary organisations that are trying to help them.”
18 January 1994 Opened a new centre for the charity Against Child Abuse.
8 March 1994 Delivered speech on International Women’s Day to an audience of about 400 business and professional women, addressing equal opportunity and pay, discrimination on promotion and sexual harassment.
24 March 1994 (Diary entry) “Lavender made another visit to the Vietnamese migrant detention centre, this time the one at Whitehead where there have been strikes and demonstrations against the UNHCR-forced returns to Vietnam. She has taken a particular interest in the position of the children.”
10 November 1994 (Diary entry) “Lavender has been making a lot of speeches: on family welfare, on AIDS and even on diarrhoea.”
1 May 1995 Accepted post of patron for the AIDS Trust fund.
16 June 1995 Visited the psychiatric hospital at Castle Peak “which we have had squarely in our sights for improvement” wrote Patten in his diary for this date.
6 February 1996 Visited women’s prison at Tuen Mun.
September 1996 Launched an appeal for Eurasian bone marrow donors.
5 September 1996 Organised a reception for matrimonial lawyers at Government House having recently spoken at their conference. The aim was to help raise their standing in the legal profession.