Meet two women proud to be the talk of the town (From Southend Standard)

Meet two women proud to be the talk of the town

9:40pm Tuesday 8th December 2009

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NORMA Heigho, 95, of Moor Park Gardens, Leigh, joined the Townswomen’s Guild in Shoebury in 1947, marking the start of a lifetime dedicated to the community. This culminated in her being made a freeman of Southend in 2000.

When Mrs Heigho joined, she became concerned about the difficulties in being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. The nearest unit was at the Royal Marsden Hospital, in London, where women were forced to travel for screening and treatment.

On a train journey, Mrs Heigho listened to the plight of a cancer sufferer travelling to London for treatment. She decided to approach the then Southend health department to ask why the hospital wasn’t providing breast screening. Mrs Heigho was told this was in the field of preventative medicine, and the hospital did not have the facilities to deal with the resultant abnormalities that screening may find.

Mrs Heigho, who went on to become chairman of the South Essex Federation of Towns-women’s Guilds, said: “I started collecting for breast cancer screening in 1968, with the hope the guild would support me, which it did.

“We were kept very busy with our collecting tins and approaching various organisations. I think what the guild achieved was excellent.

“I used to work for the Inland Revenue in Victoria Avenue, Southend. My husband didn’t really like me working, and I was out collecting for the guild as well, but I didn’t take much notice of him.

“Men used to say, ‘you can’t go collecting in the street’, but I just said ‘you can’, and we did. It needed to be done. I think if something needs doing, ask a woman to do it.”

In the years that followed, the fundraising campaign for breast cancer screening gathered pace. About £80,000 was required for a new building and equipment, along with £50,000 to £60,000 per year running costs.

Mrs Heigho approached Lady McAdden, wife of the then Southend East MP Sir Stephen McAdden, to become the president of the newly-formed Breast Screening Appeal. The unit, at Southend Hospital, eventually opened in 1976.

The guild and members still raise money for the Lady McAdden breast screening unit, affectionately called the Bust unit, which is still offering an essential service to women across south Essex.

JEAN Feather is a true stalwart of the Townswomen’s Guild movement, which offers its members a sense of belonging, fellowship and the opportunity to get involved with the community.

The great-grandmother, 83, of Thorpe Hall Avenue, Thorpe Bay, joined the guild at Fleet in Hampshire, before moving to south Essex for her husband’s job.

Mrs Feather began the Thorpe Bay Estuary Guild, where she remains a loyal member.

She said: “I am still in touch with the woman who introduced me to the Townswomen’s Guild.

“When my son was only eight weeks old we met at the clinic, and she said, ‘why don’t you come along?’.

“That was the start of a very happy friendship. We still chat and exchange Christmas cards 60 years on. The guild has always been a lifeline.

“I would have had a very singular life had I not gone out and found the knowledge, friendship, information and activities that I have had through the guild.

“It is a different organisation now. It cost half a crown a year when I joined, and now it is £25.”

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