Paul Heim Awards
Paul Heim
23rd May 1932 – 23rd September 2020
From the outset, Paul became an ardent supporter of Somerset Anne Frank Awards (now known as Somerset Anne Frank Youth Awards). He manifested such support in a variety of ways, including annual financial donations through the George Heim Trust, but more importantly his personal, emotional and wise contributions and ideas. Together with his wife, Elizabeth, he provided warm hospitality on regular occasions across his years supporting Somerset Anne Frank Youth Awards.
Since his unfortunate passing in September 2020, Somerset Anne Frank Youth Awards’ Committee have decided to annually award dedicated prizes, in the name of Paul Heim. In both the SAFYAs and the Creative Writing Awards, we will honour his memories, life’s journey and deep interests with gratitude and appreciation for his unstinting support over the years.
For more information on these prizes, please see the specific pages for each of the Awards.
Below, we leave an extract from an eulogy read aloud at Paul's funeral. May he forever rest in peace.
“Paul was so very alive, at all times, and so great a pleasure to be with, that it is difficult to speak of him in the past tense.
He was a man of many parts. Perhaps first and foremost a family man. He loved also spending time with his grandchildren: carpentry, chess, chicken rearing, tree-house building, even some days away together. Then also his great interest in, and affection for, others. Always keen to know from the young: “Tell me some news!”
Paul, with his parents and sister, having escaped just in time from the Nazi occupation of Austria, found themselves in Kenya: such was the play of the dice in those circumstances. Paul having survived the local schooling was able to take a law degree in England, and became a magistrate in Kenya.
When Paul obtained a post in the first of the post-war European organisations, the Council of Europe he had already worked in the European Court and Commission of Human Rights in Strasbourg, but he was then elevated to the Cabinet, as the private office of the SecretaryGeneral.
When the UK joined the European Community in 1973, Paul began to work at the European Parliament, where he had the significant responsibility for organising the Parliament’s meetings. Later, in the 1980s, he was appointed Registrar of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, and served a six-year term, running the administration of the Court. As the head of the staff, he was not only much admired and respected by them; he was loved by many. Remarkably, and perhaps without precedent, the Court published in The Times last Friday a warm announcement on Paul, recalling his role as its Registrar in the 1980s.
He cherished his time in Luxembourg, was decorated by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg as well as by H.M. the Queen, and was later chairman of the Luxembourg Society in the UK.
Paul retired to Somerset in 1988, although he continued work as chairman of several UK tribunals, and guided students at Lincoln’s Inn, of which he was a Bencher, in European law; he organised financial support for students; he contributed himself and set up a trust in memory of his father George Heim; he arranged visits for students to the European institutions; he chaired the Inn’s European group; and he took the initiative to inaugurate the Inn’s annual Thomas More lecture, successful to this day.
In Somerset, Paul made many friends, he joined a number of societies, he provided, together with Elizabeth, warm hospitality, he supported many charities and good causes: particularly the Somerset Anne Frank Awards.”
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