Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, catalyst and science teacher
Introducing Islington Faces’ chair, Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong (Ernie). Interview by Nicola Baird
Everyone has a story. Introducing Islington Faces’ chair, Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong (Ernie). He’s a modern polymath – Green councillor, space physics advocate, secondary school physics teacher, dad, volunteer and lovely bloke (although he might dispute this order). Ernie’s so busy this interview has taken a few years to organise. Here he discusses what Islington means to him, right from his early school days as a first-generation migrant, to the present. Interview by Nicola Baird
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Green councillor for Highbury, and chair of Islington Faces. Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Green councillor for Highbury and Islington Faces chair: “It’s incredibly challenging to bring up a young family in London and be a community campaigner and councillor trying to make positive social and environmental change. Some say it would have been more impactful just sticking to the classroom, but from a personal point of view the journey to becoming the first elected Lithuanian councillor in UK (as far as I know) was worthwhile and a good decision.” (c) Islington Faces
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong – better known as Ernie – lives in Drayton Park with his wife Chloe, and their two young children. He’s well known locally, thanks to his volunteering and being one of the three Green councillors for Highbury (all other councillors in Islington were elected Labour). Islington Faces quite often sees Ernie whizzing past on a Lime bike or heading to nursery with his son in a buggy, but today he’s joining via Zoom.
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PHOTO ABOVE: Islington Faces live 2014 celebration for the 100th interview. Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong is 2nd from the left. Our next big celebration marks the 365th interview and will be at Islington Ecology Centre on Monday 15 July. (c) Islington Faces
Q Why did you get involved in Islington Faces?
“I enjoyed reading Islington Faces and was interviewed on stage at the event to celebrate its 100th interview at the King’s Head Theatre in October, 2014 (see this film). I was asked to be the second chair (after Paula Vandergert retired), and I find it really hard to say no to asks.” As a result, Ernie took on the role in April 2022. “I love reading about people’s journeys and stories, and reflecting on them by acknowledging I’m on my own journey too. I don’t do much… [here Ernie is clearly thinking about Marathon runners or working astronauts] but I’ve always thought of myself as more of a catalyst. With Islington Faces I can be a catalyst and facilitate something good happening as a trustee and a chair.”
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong with his children at Highbury Fields Park Run. (c) EJA
Q: What’s your job?
“Education. I’ve been a head of physics, head of science, and associate assistant head teacher. I’m still a science teacher and work at a special education needs learning centre by Manor House. My wife Chloe is an assistant head teacher and Early Years phase lead. We’re both teachers and trade unionists at heart.”
Ernie stood as a councillor in 2014 in Highbury West, and again in 2018 in Highbury East. “I quickly learnt that if I was going to be involved in politics, it had to be for the right reason, for me it’s much more about community and putting in a lot of work. The second time I was less than 100 votes short. Then in 2022 I didn’t believe it would happen, but I was elected to Highbury (with two other Greens, Benali Hamdache and Caroline Russell), and my first baby was only born the week before polling day. It was a very busy week!” This link lets you fid out who your councillors are in Islington.
Then in December 2023, “our beautiful daughter was born. So, we have a boy and a girl – we know having a large family in Islington and London is challenging, but we have always talked about having a large family, including fostering and adoption. People have really helped us. We have relatives and friends and the community who have clothed them, fed them and looked after us.”
Q: Why did you want to be a councillor?
“About a dozen years ago, I was a young teacher, quite confident in the classroom in Dagenham. It was during the first few years of the coalition government, and I could already see the detrimental impact the government policies were having on my students. During one exam season the night before a Physics GCSE exam I found a resource that I thought would be good for last moment practice and I dropped off this revision pack at all of my students’ houses. That gave me an insight into the students’ home lives as well. That class was absolutely brilliant, and they got 100 per cent A* to C. It was my first cohort to go through the GCSE system. I thought ‘is there something more I can do outside the classroom?’ I wasn’t sure which political party to align myself with, so I tried the website Vote for Policies and it showed me my policies aligned with the Green party. I looked them up online, got in touch and there happened to be a by-election in Islington. So, I popped into one of their canvassing sessions. It was a lot of fun. That September I joined the Green party.
Q: What are your first memories of living in Islington?
“My family are migrants from Lithuania. We came to Islington in late 1997. We were looking for a safer place to live, and also better opportunities for my younger brother and myself. We were placed into temporary accommodation, so moved around North East London a fair bit, five times or so. I spent significant time in my teens in Hackney. Halfway through my A levels, my Y12 summer, we were moved on to a council estate in Islington, which was incredibly fortunate.”
Q: How was it joining an English primary school?
“I only knew the words for ‘cats’ and ‘dogs’ in English, which is a start! I did take a handful of English evening lessons in Lithuania, but I wasn’t the most attentive student, and I do remember going to primary school in London and thinking back to those lessons. In Year 5 we were asked to write our dreams. I was trying to write my story by using words with square brackets around them, the way you see phonetic pronunciation in the dictionary. I remember a student saying, ‘that must be how they write in Lithuania’! Being quiet and attentive goes a long way – you are thought of as a good student.”
Q: Were you a good student?
“During my A levels I was a relatively quiet, reserved individual and I still am. I went to City & Islington College at Angel. They gave us quite a lot of flexibility, so during two-hour slots I’d leave the college and I wandered around looking at architecture. At the Spa Green Gardens, Rosebery Avenue, EC1 outside Sadler’s Wells there’s a war memorial and a bench where I’d sit and think about physics and economics. It was a bit of solace from life in general.”
Since my A levels there’s been a lot of physics in my life. The Institute of Physics recently relocated themselves to Islington and are at 37 Caledonian Road, N1. They do amazing things in the community, not just academic physics.
Q: What about university?
“During university, like many other young Londoners, I lived with my parents. I went to King’s College London and studied Physics BSc and the AKC programme. I was really fortunate to get on that course. I was the first in my family to go to Higher Education. I was also doing a lot of football coaching and refereeing all over London while doing my undergrad degree. That made me think about what I wanted to do when it came to work – and that’s why I now work with young people and became a teacher.”
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Green councillor for Highbury and Islington Faces chair at Highbury Fields: “I volunteer for Junior ParkRun on Sunday mornings with Maksi and I also “run” with the buggy on Saturday mornings around Highbury Fields. I’ve just passed 150 park runs. I was also involved with GoodGym Islington before having children and I managed 134 good deeds, they’re still going strong. I find running is good for my mental and physical health.” (c) EJA
Q: Tell us about your interests
“When Islington Faces interviewed me on stage at their 100th published interview celebration at the King’s Head pub theatre on 25th October 2014, I was Ernie the astronomer. I’ve gone from being an amateur astronomer to being a space advocate for the National Space Academy which has funding from the UK Space Agency. It means I go to schools all over London and advocate for space science and for more people to get involved in the space industry.”
The beautiful wedding walk of Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, and his wife Chloe across Highbury Fields during Covid-19. (c) EJA
Q: Where’s your place of calm?
“Six years ago I met my wife Chloe in Hackney, at the American diner in Dalston, it’s been a bit of a journey as Chloe and I got married during the pandemic at the Union Chapel. We were limited to 10 people. Chloe had her parents. I had mine. My brother lives in Melbourne so he couldn’t come, but we had our best friends as our witnesses. We were really grateful we could get married in Union Chapel. The walk from Union Chapel up to our impromptu reception at the Olden Community Garden at Whistler Street, N5 was lovely. A massive thanks to T.S.
“I still really like the Union Chapel and every other month I’ll go by myself or with my son, Maksi, for a Sunday service.
“Highbury Fields is special. On our wedding day we walked down Corsica Street and Queen’s Walk through Highbury Fields. It was a really beautiful Saturday in July and when people saw us coming, with Chloe wearing her wedding dress and white FILA sneakers, all the picnickers clapped and cheered. With the then on-going pandemic and the recent lockdown it felt we were getting the applause as a celebration of our marriage but also relief that things might go back to normal. It was nice to share our happiness with everyone.
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong volunteer gardening in 2022 at Highbury Quadrant Estate (c) Islington Council https://www.islington.media/resources/9hxdk-d5aro-yykoe-ssblc-0l3h0
Q: What about green space?“
We live in one of most dense boroughs in England and it’s just amazing to have that green space. I didn’t appreciate it as a teenager or in my early 20s, but did do quite a bit of running around it. Now that I’m in my 30s I’m much more involved in running and volunteering in and around Highbury Fields. I’m also incredibly grateful for those people who developed the playground as we visit at least once or twice a week with my children. Highbury Fields has evolved many times over, and its journey hasn’t stopped.”
Q: Tell us a secret!
“We have been narrowboat owners and cruisers on Regent’s Canal and River Lee. It’s a bit of a reminder that Islington has an amazing and thriving canal community. It’s definitely a different way of life and not for everyone – and for someone, like me, who can’t swim, I’m just happy I survived. We’re very much now on land but I can see us as a family going out on a cruise – there’s no longer a knowledge barrier of how to navigate the 2,000 miles of the canal and river system. I have lovely memories including the day we went through the Angel tunnel with our friend and turned left into King’s Cross Basin and parked outside the Canal Museum, 12-13 New Wharf Road, N1 (you can make a booking to do that) and it was quite serene! Another time on our narrowboat Chloe’s brother had to free the clogged propellor just after that big tunnel. He had to strip to the waist, get in the canal and then pulled out a tangled-up briefcase. It was very random.”
Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong, Green councillor for Highbury and Islington Faces chair at Highbury Fields: “I volunteer for Junior ParkRun on Sunday mornings with Maksi and I also “run” with the buggy on Saturday mornings around Highbury Fields. I’ve just passed 150 park runs. I was also involved with GoodGym Islington before having children and I managed 134 good deeds, they’re still going strong. I find running is good for my mental and physical health.” (c) EJA
Q: Any favourite activities locally?
“The people at Highbury Quadrant Estate nature gardens are incredible for their dedication, they meet up every Saturday, and have allowed people like me to be part of the regeneration. London is quite a hectic place, so having people who make oases like the Highbury Quadrant Estate gardens or Olden Community Garden where anyone can get some mental respite and people are welcoming and inclusive is wonderful.
“I’ve maybe had more failures than successes growing, two harvest ago we planted a whole bed of onion bulbs and I’m pretty sure the foxes got some of them. You’ve got to get your hands dirty to feel the nature connection.”
A big thank you to Ernie for chairing Islington Faces.
Exciting news: Islington Faces will be having a celebration party for having published 365+ interviews for all Islington Faces friends which will be held on Monday 15 July at Islington Ecology Centre, 6-8pm, and you are invited! See you there.
Over to you
If you’d like to nominate someone to be interviewed who grew up, lives or works in Islington, or suggest yourself, please let me know, via nicolabaird dot green at gmail dot com. If you enjoyed this post you might like to look at the A-Z index, or search by interviewee’s roles or Meet Islingtonians to find friends, neighbours and inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. Nicola