Born in Redhill, Surrey, Sue lived at Frensham Little Pond before moving to Basingstoke as a young girl in 1965. They lived in a flat at Jacksons Garage in Wote Street.

“It was a little town really. Outside the Jacksons Garage there was a horse trough. When the hunt came through on a Sunday the horses used to stop at the trough.”

Her father worked for Lancing Bagnell before he retired. Sue attended Fairfields School for a few months when she arrived in Basingstoke. She told us “mum got permission for me to go in my old uniform.” She remembers the town centre being built and walking on boards whilst they were building. She then moved on to the Shrubbery for secondary schooling, while her parents moved to the Berg Estate.

She worked in London before coming back to Basingstoke to look after her sick mother and then met her husband. Raising a family here, Sue has lived in a number of houses in different locations.

“We had a flat above Fine Fair for about £15 a month rent back in the 1970s. Then we moved to Packenham Road where both our children were born. We then moved to Lychpit in 1982.”

She has memories of several events she has attended including the town carnival, the Old Basing Carnival and the Transport Festival.

“When the original carnival came through town. I was a Flower Girl.  I was in that for a couple of years. I participate in the Old Basing Carnival here in the village of Old Basing, as a WI [Womens Institute] we participate in that. The Christmas Fayre at Basing House is always super. I participate in that too with the Old Basing WI.”

She is a big fan of Eastrop Park and can walk to it from Lychpit. When asked about the hidden gems of the area she mentioned Jane Austen, the fabulous museums, The Holy Ghost and Basing House as it’s on the doorstep.

When she retired Susan joined the WI, becoming Vice President then in 2019 becoming the President until this year.  During COVID, she was setting up Zoom meetings and delivering Christmas cards and small gifts to keep the group together at a time people had to be apart. She became the local ‘Road Warrior’ helping pick up prescriptions and food for people in the road she lived in who couldn’t go out. Sue and her husband also helped at the vaccination centre working seven hour shifts, dealing with the people coming in and helping the NHS. Her husband, Martin helped people park their cars.

 “It was a dark time for the country, but the vaccination centre had a good bunch of NHS colleagues and local people working there.”

January 2025