Helen Cadbury, Author

Helen (1965 – 2017) was born in Birmingham into the Quaker family of chocolate fame, later moving to Oldham with her older sister and brothers. As a child she loved books. Helen had three main ambitions at this time, which included being a writer or an actor. Her father advised her not to start writing […]

Kit Rob, Botanist

Catherine, Muriel ‘Kit’ Rob (1906 – 1975) was an authority on botany and President of the Yorkshire Naturalists Union. I am delighted to be able to tell Kit’s biography because I knew her as a friend of my family. Catherine Muriel Rob was her full name, but I always knew her as ‘Kit’. She was […]

Virginia Shaw, Housing Support Services

Virginia ‘Ginnie’ Shaw was initiator and foundermember of East Yorkshire Housing Association (EYHA) in Bridlington in 1980s, arising out of research carried out by the local Shelter group into the lack of housing with support for homeless young people. Its first project was to house homeless young people in supported housing in a street house […]

Janice Peggs, Childcare Campaigner

Janice Peggs is a social entrepreneur, policy reformer and successful campaigner for better childcare provision in York and nationally. In the late 1980s Janice resigned her well-paid management post with London Transport and moved back to York with her young son, Joseph, because she could not find suitable or secure childcare in the capital. As […]

Juliet Forster, Theatre Director

Juliet Forster became Associate Director of York Theatre Royal in 2007. She has a degree in Theatre from the University of Birmingham. At first she was more interested in the acting side but as she continued she found “the other side of things” more intriguing with directing the most enjoyable. She started as a lighting designer […]

Amy Tyro, Footballer

Amy was born in Sheffield in 1987 but from an early age was brought up in York. At a party she was playing football with her friends when the father of one of her friends, spotting her talent, suggested she play at Doncaster Belles. At that time women’s teams were few and far between, but […]

Yvie Holder, Founder, York Race Equality Network

Yvie has been promoting diversity and equality for over 30 years, in both a personal and a professional capacity. Born in London, to a Trinidadian father and English mother, and raised in Kingston Upon Hull, Yvie came to study at the University of York, where she graduated in 1976.  She became a teacher of English and […]

Rose Kent, Accessible Arts

Rose Kent – Creative Director of Accessible Arts & Media, Chair of Tang Hall Big Local, art & music lecturer, sculptor, community artist. Accessible Arts & Media (AAM) is an award-winning charity running arts and creative media learning projects since 1982, where the achievements and aspirations of everyone, regardless of their circumstances are celebrated. They […]