The Ammerdown Centre is celebrating its 45th Anniversary, and was honoured and delighted to welcome Terry Waite CBE as their guest speaker on Tuesday, 17th July.

To a packed audience of over 100 guests, Terry revisited his ordeal of spending over four years as a hostage. Sharing his experiences of how he was treated in captivity, giving a graphic explanation of how he was tortured and being forced to go through a mock execution, his experiences brought tears to several guests’ eyes.

Terry told the audience of how he was held in his cell for 23 hours and fifty minutes every day, walking around trying to keep fit, only having access for ten minutes per day to the toilet facilities.

The audience asked plenty of questions, one being, how he managed to mentally cope with this, Terry explained that he created his books and poems in his head to keep his mind active. Upon his release, he found writing the books very easy, as he had recited them many, many times in his head to perfection.

Terry successfully negotiated the release of several hostages in Iran. On 10th November, 1984, he negotiated with Colonel Gaddafi for the release of the four remaining British hostages held in the Libyan Hostage Situation, and was again successful.

From 1985, Terry became involved in hostage negotiation in Lebanon, and he assisted in successful negotiations which secured the release of Lawrence Jenco and David Jacobsen.

His use of an American helicopter to travel secretly between Cyprus and Lebanon and his appearance with Lt Colonel Oliver North, however, meant that he was compromised when the Irangate scandal broke. Against advice, Terry felt a need to demonstrate his continuing trust and integrity, and his commitment to the remaining hostages.

He arrived in Beirut on 12th January, 1987 with the intention of negotiating with the Islamic Jihad Organisation, which was holding the men.

On 20th January, 1987, he agreed to meet the captors of the hostages as he was promised safe conduct to visit the hostages, who, he was told, were ill. The group broke trust and took him hostage. Terry remained in captivity for 1,763 days, the first four years of which were spent in solitary confinement.

He was finally released on 18th November, 1991. Terry revisited his captors in 2012 and has always said that “If you are bitter, it will eat you up and do more damage to you than to the people who have hurt you.”

Terry is an incredible man, inspiring and empowering, yet leaving us feeling so humble.

Emma Rawlings