Ann Southcombe
A Journey of Strength, Passion, and Dedication
1953 - 2024
Ann the change maker
Ann’s career started at Community Routes
Having Changed her own life Ann began her life’s work of changing the lives of those who also faced many of the disadvantages she experienced.
Community Routes
This began with her involvement at Community Routes – England’s first community cooperative based in the Estate she lived in, Hattersley near Manchester. Her previous work had been seven years at the Walls factory nearby on the assembly line. She started at Community Routes learning administrative skills in her first office job working for the Inflatable business Boing! When she returned from college she was elected Company Secretary of Community Routes and learnt to support a Board of Directors and staff. She was also a leader of the estate’s women’s group and was on the Committee supporting the youth worker change the estate’s Underground car park into an award winning youth run centre called The Grand Canyon. She was elected as the cooperative representative on a Government advisory committee meeting in Westminster
Community Economy Ltd
Whilst she started at Community Routes she was also involved in a National group initially called The Whitby Group ( where they first met). This group wanted to develop the power of disadvantaged communities to find their own solutions to their problems through community enterprise. The group formed itself into a company Community Economy Ltd and Ann became a Director. As a Director she was part of a delegation that went to Brussels in 1984 to lobby the EU for funding and returned triumphant with a quarter of a million Euros that was then 50% matched by several local Authorities. Ann continued as Director for six years and contributed much to the idea of community enterprise during that time. The pictures above show Ann talking to fellow Director Pauline Nicholls whilst on the Community Economy National tour, and the second with her sitting surrounded by workers and other Directors at one of the many Community Economy residentials she attended
The Centre for Unemployed Eccles
When she moved to Salford, after a brief time managing the Sue Ryder shop in Eccles she was appointed first the deputy Manager at the Unemployed Centre in Eccles. Then within a year became the Manager. During her time there she radically transformed the centre into a dynamic centre with workshops and activities and connections to the local community. Not for the first time in her life she faced opposition from men on her committee who resented the changes, made their decisions in the pub across the road and tried to intimidate her as a woman. However she received support from the Trade Unions and also Hazel Blears ( later the MP).
ROAPP Hall Ltd
When she moved with her husband to Walsall she soon found employment at ROAAP Hall, a Community Enterprise project in Darlaston. As the community development worker she soon won over many members of the community and organised a number of projects and events. There was a large farewell when she left.
BEECHWOOD ESTATE
The Government City Challenge Programme gave £ Millions to selected disadvantaged communities to try and transform them permanently. Ann was appointed to lead a small team to distribute some of that money to the community living on the Beechwood Estate in Walsall. Having gown up on such an estate she soon connected with the residents and became a popular figure on the estate. She again had to battle the misogynistic attitudes of some male agency and local government workers in suits who just saw an uneducated working class woman and not the intelligent woman with a passion to help people.
CHUCKERY FIVE STREETS
Whilst living in the Chuckery in Walsall, the community was shocked by a racially motivated stabbing and a march by the fascist British National Party through their streets. Ann led the response by helping to form the Chuckery Five Streets Association and held meetings at her house. To celebrate the diversity of their community the Five Streets ran a successful festival in the summer. The picture below shows Ann opening the Jewellery railway line along with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and his wife and the Mayor of Walsall Richard Worrall
WALSALL CVS
When the funding for the City Challenge project expired Ann became the Deputy Manager for the Walsall CVS representing the voluntary sector in the City. Following the resignation of the Manager Ann was appointed the acting Manager, not a job she wanted or relished. Nevertheless she had a good relationship with the Local Authority Chief Executive and together they forged a new contract between the Local Authority and all the Voluntary organisations in the Town.
LEEDS AND YORKSHIRE HOUSING ASSOCIATION (LYHA)
Within a few weeks of moving to Robin Hoods Bay Ann was appointed the Housing Manager for LYHA overseeing all their properties in Whitby and Scarborough, in particular the Sheltered accommodation at West Thorpe in Whitby. For the next seven years she was in her element. Bringing forward the experience of the last fifteen years she approached the job with confidence. She also brought in her own experience as a Council tenant and from the start approached the job from the tenant’s viewpoint. She soon made changes to procedure that considerably reduced waiting time for repairs and set up weekly forums for residents to air their views and participate in decision making. Her reputation rose in the organisation and locally and the CEO of the LYHA said publicly that he wished he had ten Ann Southcombes’ on his staff. She was given the responsibility of overseeing the multi million refurbishment of West Thorpe which she managed brilliantly, always making sure that residents were involved and taken care of. Sadly ill health brought her work to an end, on her last day over 30 of her residents came to bid her farewell, presenting her with a signed plate, a rare send off for a Social Housing Manager.
Ann as a popular Housing Manager with some of her residents
FALCONHURST
Despite her failing health Ann then set up a successful B&B at her home at Falconhurst. The B&B was successful, partly because of Ann’s homemaking skills and eye for detail, but also she had high communication skills, she knew what guests wanted and when to talk to them. As a result over four years most of the guests at the B&B were “Returners” drawn back by the high level of service offered and Ann’s personality.
Failing health made her give up the B&B and after a period of providing a temporary home to her daughter and her family, Ann converted the top floor of Falconhurst into a holiday Let. www.falconhurstbay.co.uk Again her skills in home building came to the fore and the Holiday Let too has been a great success, getting top reviews and awards. Gradually she became less involved in running the Let as her health deteriorated and her business is now managed by her daughter Laura.
Ann, Your memory lives on.
