Josie Evans, warmly remembered here by Bliss colleagues and friends, was one of a group of dedicated parents who in 1979 came together to found Bliss to fundraise and campaign for access to life-saving equipment and skilled care for babies who had difficulties at birth. This group of volunteers soon began to reshape newborn care and research in the UK. Josie’s boundless energy and meticulousness was integral to Bliss’ success in the early days after its founding nearly 50 years ago. Her co-founders Susanna Cheal OBE, Marie Millett and Bonnie Green here share fond memories of Josie and her incredible legacy.
“Josie was the glue that held us together on our journey into the unknown.”
In November 1979, the International Year of the Child, 12 committed people were drawn together by a newspaper article highlighting failing care for newborn babies with problems at birth. We founded Bliss to raise funds to donate life saving equipment to hospitals nationwide, fund medical and nursing training and parent support. Josie was the glue that held us together on our journey into the unknown.
Joanna Bertorelli’s introduction of Josie and her positive indefatigable spirit was inspired. After a fundraising coffee morning, Josie, with a bandaged leg, stood at the sink and washed everything up. On another memorable day, Josie and other Bliss mothers took a borrowed incubator, occupied temporarily by the baby of friends, to No.10 Downing Street to urge Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the mother of twins, to invest in neonatal care. She wasn’t amenable but we got our publicity.
Operating like a pocket rocket from the first donation of £10.30 to millions later, Josie oversaw our financial development, record keeping and sales of merchandise to support our membership in their fundraising. Her exceptional quality of effort and energy provided the backbone for Bliss to become a strong, trusted and lasting organisation.
– Susanna Cheal OBE
“To me she was a quiet magician.”
Two things in particular stand out for me when I think of Josie.
She was very self-effacing.
This made her dangerous. She was easily under-estimated, but her quiet determination (some might call it stubbornness!) ensured that she was not someone who would bow to expediency. Woe betides anyone who tried to bully her into agreement. They didn’t last long.
Believe me, that is the sort of temperament you want in a charity trustee!
Secondly, she had a real gift for administration. Without her record keeping skills, and book-keeping skills, I honestly doubt that Bliss would have weathered those early years as successfully as it did.
Having cut her teeth on the room sized computers of her early working days working for local government, Bliss may have seemed easy to her. I only know it would have not been for me! Easy or not, it was an unremitting, never ending chore to do on top of a regular job. I admired her tenacity. To me she was a quiet magician, the glue that kept us all together, even when we disagreed on the best way forward.
She made me smile, and I am proud to have been her friend.
– Marie Millett
“That was Josie – quietly determined, thoughtful and completely committed.”
Josie was, as we found out, Bliss’ secret Honorary Archivist. She had kept meticulous records from 1979 to when she stepped down in 2009 and continued to do so. And you would expect this record keeping to be beautifully organised and incredibly detailed. Indeed, it was. But more importantly they told Bliss’ story.
As Josie became unwell over the last year, she was anxious that all the history she had so lovingly compiled was not lost. So together we thought – what about establishing an archive?
We contacted Caroline Lee-Davey, the Bliss Chief Executive, asking if this was possible and were delighted to hear that discussions were ongoing with the Wellcome Collection to host such an archive and her records would be invaluable. Josie was so happy to hear that. But one downside was that all her records were stored in her upstairs office. So only a couple of months ago when she was not at all well, she heroically and determinedly transferred all the files downstairs into boxes and they are now in safe hands.
That was Josie – quietly determined, thoughtful and completely committed.
Thank you dear friend, resilient to the end, you’ve not just preserved history - you’ve created a lasting legacy.
– Bonnie Green
