Lawyer who beat the BBC sets up network to help ageism victims

A lawyer who won an age discrimination case for a former BBC presenter plans to set up a nationwide support network for working women.

Since Camilla Palmer secured victory for 53-year-old ex-Countryfile host Miriam O'Reilly last week she has been inundated with emails from women in similar situations.

O'Reilly, who was dropped from the show, is expected to receive about £150,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal ruled that she had been victimised and discriminated against because of her age.

Ms Palmer, 57, of Tufnell Park, said the idea for a support network "came out of a discussion with Miriam, who felt supported by other women during the case". She said it was important that women can remain anonymous when they use the service, which will offer legal and other advice.

Ms Palmer, a mother-of-two and former Islington council legal adviser, said: "It's not about encouraging women to bring a claim. It's about supporting those women who feel they've suffered discrimination."

She added: "Making a claim against your employer is a very isolating thing to do. It does change your life, and people don't do it lightly."

The network, likely to begin as a website, will particularly help women who suffer the "double discrimination" of gender and pregnancy. If it is successful, male victims of discrimination could also be helped in the future.

Ms Palmer, a partner at Clerkenwell-based Leigh Day & Co, has been contacted by women across Europe since the tribunal. "One woman said she felt a lot safer now. I hope employers will take notice," she said. The lawyer, who spent 14 months preparing O'Reilly's case, said: "Litigation is not easy. It is expensive and time consuming and may not be good for your career. But Miriam felt she had nothing to lose." The campaign is backed by one of Ms Palmer's neighbours, TV actress Kate Buffery, who has fought for more roles for older women. The former star of Wish Me Luck has collected more than 8,000 signatures for an online petition on behalf of the actors' union Equity.

Buffery, 53, said: "Whilst leading parts are frequently played by male actors over 45, women in this age group start to disappear from our screens."