Page 2 - HGS Suburb News 141 - Winter 2020

Jan White 1937 - 2019 Ten years at the Trust

Jan White who died on 29 Suburb. In between this, she Nick Packard joined the Trust as see the Suburb so the Trust
November 2019 had lived in was a freelance editor and estate manager in 2009. He had organises talks and tours for
the Suburb for 57 years. worked for a while at the previously worked as an estate them “to gently spread the
Jan was born in 1937 in Polytechnic of Central London. agent in residential property. In message of what an interesting
Tottenham where her father THE REVEREND ALAN WALKER Jan also worked on the Priority so doing he realised when you concept it is and how well
was a GP and her mother was Estates Project, which was are dealing with people’s homes, preserved it still is; after all, Sir
the manager of the local labour concerned with the betterment the owners can be very emotional Nikolaus Pevsner, did describe it
exchange. The events of 1939, and support of run-down and proprietorial. Moving home as ‘the most nearly perfect example
when Jan was just two years old, estates in the capital. is, in fact, recognised as one of of that English invention and
necessitated a move out of North On the local front, she became the most stressful thing that specialty, the garden suburb’.
London to avoid the bombing very involved with Garden people go through (after death After 10 years with the Trust,
and the family moved to Suburb School PTA and, with and divorce). Nick understood Nick is moving to the Crown
Letchworth for the duration of friends, set up a local youth his job meant providing solutions Estate Paving Commission in
the war. On their return, Jan club based in St Jude’s Church and that sympathy and kindness Regent’s Park. He accepted the
became a pupil at City of Rooms that ran for many years. went a long way. and its emphasis on heritage. The job, because it has a number of
London School where she was She also set up a regular clothes As the estate manager, Nick’s Trust has a long term horizon, and similarities to the Trust, not least
made head girl and gained a swap for children’s clothing. job was to look after the 27 he saw his role as “improving the its heritage aspects, and, also
place to read English at St Jan was also one of many local private roads, 50 communal financial performance, keeping because he wants to test himself
Hilda’s College, Oxford in 1956. appeared to be worth a second friends and neighbours who gardens and 11 allotments, all good systems in place, and having out in a new environment.
After university, Jan started look in daylight. They duly became involved in the annual owned by the Suburb Trust. He good people on the staff.” When asked about his best
work at Hutchinson’s, the returned and were very impressed. Proms at St Jude’s, more or less spent five years managing and Like all organisations, the memory of the Trust, he decided
publishers in Great Portland By the time they were married in from the start. Her particular maintaining these sites and Trust needs a steady income. it was Sunshine Corner at the end
Street, mainly editing technical 1962, Jan and Pete had committed role was helping to organise the found himself learning a lot about Nick decided to buy Suburb flats of Heathgate. “This area means
books. Pete , her future husband, to buying a house in Asmuns refreshments. She also organised road construction. The roads that were for sale either because a lot to me. I worked over three
worked at an IT company in Hill and would have moved in the flower rota at the church for on the Suburb were originally of a short lease or through years on this project with my
what were the early days of straight away if not for the leaks many years and belonged to the built for horse and cart; the cars probate. He chose that particular colleagues, particularly Michael
computing. On a training course caused by the snow and ice of Wives Fellowship. and lorries that use them now investment because Trust staff Tutton, consultant engineer
near Maidenhead, Pete met Jan’s the infamous winter of 1962. They Two of Jan’s ongoing passions cause a lot of damage. Nick’s have the expertise to manage Stuart Tappin and an excellent
brother Andrew who introduced finally moved into Asmun’s Hill were the Liberal Democrats and first road reconstruction project property. It allowed them to craftsman builder, Martin
Pete to Jan at Queens’ Ice- in the Spring of 1963. pottery, which continued right was in Reynolds Close where refurbish the flats, extend the Goodchild, to appropriately
skating Rink in Bayswater. As it Over the next few years, throughout her life. She was everything that could go wrong leases and rent them out. These restore the hard landscaping of
turned out, Pete had been at Jam and Pete became parents to also a governor at Whitefield did and, as he visited the site investments now provide a this important part of the Suburb
Oxford at the exact same time Richard (who sadly died shortly School for a number of years every day, he was there to steady long term income. marking the change from the
as Jan, but, in the three years after his birth), Roz, Ziz and and served for a long time on witness it all. This experience Nick saw the Trust as a well- rural Heath Extension to the
their paths never crossed. Patrick. The family, including the local North London Hospice taught him how to manage a structured organisation. It does urban townscape. Unfortunately,
Pete and Jan went all over dogs and cats, was now support group, among other site: what works are needed, what it needs to do to protect as soon as we finished, a car
London looking to buy a house expanding and the house in things, organising annual book what the risks are and the the character of a special area crashed through part of the
for some time without success, Asmun’s Hill was proving too swaps and helping with running difference between a ‘repair’ which is of interest not only to wall (luckily the driver survived
including one in a Camden small. Jan and Pete moved their charity walks. To quote a member and an ‘improvement’. These the residents, but to a much wider and no-one else was injured)
Town mews which they were family to Hampstead Way, their of the brilliant North London projects brought him in close audience. He has endeavoured to which again had to re-built.”
keen on until Jan’s mother base ever since. Hospice team, where she spent contact with the residents and give more resources to exhibitions Nick concluded he “learnt
pointed out that there was a Jan was very involved in her last few days “Jan was a very he spent a lot of time explaining and talks, because as a charity, so much with very supportive
bullet-hole in one of the helping others. Early commit- special person, always managing what was going on to a well- the Trust has a public benefit trustees and a happy and hard-
windows! Eventually, on the ments included being secretary a smile in whatever circumstances.” educated and informed audience. requirement. A number of visitors working office and that has
way back from a party late one of the Barnet MS Society and Her funeral took place at St After five years he took over such as students and architects been great.” It was, he says, “A
night, they got totally lost and serving on the committee of Jude’s on Friday 20 December. as Manager from Jane Blackburn from all over the world come to most fantastic time!”
ended up in the Suburb which Wellgarth Nursery here in the THE REVEREND ALAN WALKER who, in this role, had put the
Trust onto a professional and
Combat Stress commercially viable basis. Nick
was the ‘continuity’. He says “I
inherited a well-run organisation”
and he acknowledges the help he
received from Richard Wakefield
who had recently been appointed
as Chairman: “I was very lucky
to have him, he was a superb
DAVID CROSSLEY
manager and, as a resident
himself, understood what the
problems were.”
Nick enjoyed the history
and architecture of the Suburb Sunshine Corner

Mitzvah Day litter pick

As its many Suburb supporters at the Free Church, North Square. how Combat Stress had helped
already know, a small Suburb A packed and very appreciative him and his family back to a
committee has raised well over audience enjoyed an evening of normal life after years of
£40,000 over the past few years music and song featuring The suppressed mental ill-health. NAOMI COLMAN
to support outreach services North London Military Wives Ticket, programme, Christmas
provided by Armed Services’ Choir and The Royal Naval card and refreshment sales,
mental health charity Combat Volunteer Band – Northwest donations and voluntary assistance
Stress. The charity was founded Headquarters. Long-time supporter from Merchants Taylors School
in 1919 and on Saturday 5 and HGS resident Martin Bell Combined Cadet Force and many
October the HGS Combat Stress OBE introduced the proceedings others raised an amazing amount
Committee put on a special and there was a moving account of money. The committee would
centenary fundraising concert by a former PTSD sufferer telling like to thank all the unsung
heroes and heroines who helped
to organise the concert, made
Brownhill Insurance Group cakes to feed the audience in
the interval and waived or
has been insuring the residents of reduced fees for various services.
Hamsptead Garden Suburb A few weeks after the concert, On 15 November, as part of We hope this will be the start of the community around us by
Mitzvah Day 2019, a group of
a joint initiative between our
bringing together volunteers
the CCF held a Christmas
for over 30 years. charity event and bake sale and Henrietta Barnett School students school community and the from all backgrounds and faiths
asked that their proceeds be from Years 11 and 12 took to the local residents. to address real needs through
added to the concert total. streets surrounding the school in Mitzvah Day is a charity whose social action.
When a £525 donation from order to pick up rubbish littering aim is to make a difference to ARIA PARDIWALA & DAHYUN HAM, 12F
Waitrose Temple Fortune’s Green the streets, bushes and hedges.
token scheme was also added in, This fitted Mitzvah Day’s ‘Going
the concert total yielded a Greener’ theme.
Join the hundreds of residents that magnificent £4,460.48 for We joined forces with local P R HARTLEY
already insure with us by calling us Combat Stress. volunteers from the HGS Residents
on 020 8658 4334. As the icing on the cake, just Association Litter Picking Team CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
before the concert, Combat to tackle the job. Despite the & REGISTERED AUDITOR
Or visit us online: Stress HQ gave its inaugural wind and rain, we all felt it was
www.brownhillgroup.co.uk Community Group of the Year really enjoyable getting to clean Accounting & Taxation Services
Award to the HGS committee, up the local area as well getting
and in December Ruth Smith to know the people who live Call 020 8731 9745 or 07850 634395
and Yvonne Oliver appeared on locally to the school.
Radio London’s Robert Elms We had a great time taking Email paul@prhartley.co.uk
insurance show to tell Londoners about part in the Litter Pick and can’t www.prhartley.co.uk
fundraising for Combat Stress. wait to see what opportunities
MARJORIE HARRIS there will be next year as well!
2 SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS