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Anne Gleeson 1948 - 2006

Trustee of Care & Repair England 2000 - 2006

Anne Gleeson died in July 2006.

Anne was an inspiring figure for Care & Repair England and a leading light amongst home improvement agencies. Her vision and creativity was behind so many of the local initiatives that Care & Repair England went on to champion nationally, including Handyperson services, Home from Hospital, Healthy Homes and Housing Options Advice.

Her passion and energy for improving the lives of older and disabled people was a driving force behind not only the remarkable development and growth of the Bristol Care & Repair Service, but also for our national work with older people’s groups.

Anne was one of the first people to work in the sector, starting out as caseworker with Anchor Staying Put in Hackney in the early 1980’s alongside Nigel Appleton and Stephanie Brann. She moved on to manage the Lewes Staying Put service then on to Bristol Care & Repair which she managed from 1991 - 2002. She worked with Care & Repair England throughout those years, becoming a Trustee of the organisation in 2000.

A remarkable ‘networker’ and innovator, Anne inspired those who came into contact with her and made people believe that change for the better really was possible. The warmth and power of her personality helped to create a huge network of people from across the housing, health, social care and academic sectors in Bristol and beyond who supported the work of Care & Repair and contributed in their own way to improving the lives of older and disabled people.

Anne was at the forefront of initiatives that helped to give unheard older people a voice. Leaving older people lonely and isolated after doing a repair job was not what Anne thought that Care & Repair was about. Even before such ideas had become part of the mainstream, Anne developed initiatives that brought older people together socially in order to develop their confidence to speak out publicly and influence the shaping of strategies and services.

She will be greatly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.

Memorial

A small family funeral was held in France where Anne died. A memorial event will be held later in the year.