Author: admin

A “tearful” reunion of former nurses half a century after they began training together became a celebration of their profession’s enduring impact.

Susan Barrell, from Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, tracked down classmates who first met in 1975 at the West Herts School of Nursing at the former Watford Peace Memorial Hospital.

On 2 September, they came together again at the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice, once part of the hospital where they trained.

“It was noisy, tearful, and overwhelming,” said Mrs Barrell. “We hadn’t seen each other in nearly 50 years. It was like stepping back in time.”

Mrs Barrell made a live appeal on BBC Three Counties Radio after struggling to find some of the class of 1975.

“I didn’t know where to start,” she said. “But after the appeal, people started calling and emailing.

“One former colleague, who now lives in Wales said, ‘My stepmother heard – it’s me, I’m Carol!’”

Among the surprises was a call from Dominique, a nurse Mrs Barrell had not spoken to in 47 years.

Rumours circulated that Dominique moved to Russia, but she was actually living in Shefford, Bedfordshire – just over an hour away from Mrs Barrell.

“I gasped when she called. We thought she’d married a Russian and moved to Moscow – turns out she’d just been on holiday there!”

Mrs Barrell’s nursing career took her from Watford to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She also worked in London, Bushey, and Stoke Mandeville.

“You can go anywhere with nursing,” she said. “It was a passport to the world. Our training was respected globally.”

One colleague worked in military medicine, became a midwife in Saudi Arabia and learned Arabic, while others worked in the education and pharmaceutical sectors.

Mrs Barrell described their training as “thorough” and said they “came out confident”. She recalled how student nurses were trusted to run wards.

“You wouldn’t see that today,” she said. “We were just 21, but we were mature and capable.”

“You were petrified of matrons – some consultants you were terrified of,” she added. “It’s not like that now.”

She acknowledged nursing has changed, with today’s training more theory-based and degree-led, but she still believes it is a rewarding career.

“Agency nurses can earn £40 an hour. The pension is good, and annual leave builds up over time. It’s still a great profession.”

Sonja Ballingall vividly remembered her “excitement” at arriving at Halsey House, the nurses’ home, the night before training began.

She described the reunion as “a joyous day” spent “looking back and reminiscing about our student nurse days and what we have all achieved over the last 50 years”.

After eight weeks learning basic nursing skills, they were sent to the hospital’s four wings to begin hands-on work.

Their social lives flourished.

“During our training there was much socialising… there was always a supply of free entry tickets to Baileys night club for the nurses to make the most of their off duty time.”

Wendy Liberty, who became a diabetes specialist nurse, said: “Our training gave a strong foundation, enabling us to develop and change our careers in nursing.”

Chris Spackman “wanted to be a nurse from a very early age”.

“I specialised in children’s nursing, eventually setting up children’s community nursing in Bedford, a position I loved – it was hard work but rewarding,” she added.

Margie Nestor, who travelled from Malaysia to begin her training and later worked in Ireland, said: “Although the training was tough, it gave me fantastic core skills that helped me throughout my career not just in England but Ireland.”

For Jannette Phipps, being accepted into the 1975 West Herts School of Nursing set was a life-changing moment, with everyone united by a purpose.

“We all had a shared vision and compassion to make life better for those who were sick or unwell around us.”

This weekend, thousands of whistles are being blown across the country for the first games of the 2025-26 season, including the Women’s Super League and grassroots football teams. This summer at Euro 25, the England Women’s national side tasted silverware for a second time, and that hunger has filtered down to a growing talent pool.

In Essex, girls who had never touched a football a few years ago are now playing daily, and one summer school has seen a 1,200% increase in pupils.

Meanwhile, the Essex Football Association said there had been a 41% increase in registered girls’ teams since 2023.

Witham Town FC and Thundersley Rovers were two football clubs without a girls’ team in 2022. Three years later, the two clubs have 15 sides between them.

Thundersley coach Colin Smith, 44, said uptake “gathered pace” after England’s Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 to win Euro 2022.

“It was good just seeing how quick the numbers grew,” he said.

“The willingness to train and learn and improve is very similar [to the boys].

“These girls just turn up through whatever weather — sun, rain, shine, snow.”

Fellow coach, Steve Pudney, 46, said the role was “very rewarding”.

“When our girls first got together, they’d run around like little sheep, just in herds, just chasing each other around.

“As a coach, it makes it worthwhile what we put in week in, week out. As a parent… it’s magical.

“You can get a child to come along [who] doesn’t want to be there at first… once they get that team feeling it completely changes their attitude.

“All of a sudden they can’t wait for training, or they’re first at training, or they’re kicking a ball in their garden.

“My daughter, for instance, anywhere around my house there’s football… in the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, the garden.”

One of Thundersley’s new additions is Macey, 12, who had never touched a football two years ago – now she plays seven times a week.

She also plays in the Junior Premier League, which is just below academy level.

Macey said England captain Lucy Bronze became her very first role model after she played the entire 2025 Euros with a fractured tibia.

“It’s just her determination and how she just plays through anything,” she said.

She also watched the quarter finals in awe, as Hannah Hampton got a nosebleed and “still saved all her penalties” against Sweden.

The Michael Richardson Football Academy (MRFA), which runs summer schools across Essex, has gone from only 10 girls across all of its sessions before the Euros 2022 to “about 120” this year.

Coach Sarah Smith, 53, said: “It gives me goosebumps. It’s an amazing journey.

“I’ve been in the game way before the Euros and the Lionesses, and there was always a lot of barriers to girls playing.

“When I was at primary school, I was the only girl playing in the playground with the boys and was deemed a bit odd for doing that, but now girls play football at school it’s part of many of their PE lessons.”

Smith said she had spoken to England manager Sarina Wiegman, who went through a similar experience.

“She only played football because she played in her twin brother’s team and she had to cut her hair and pretend to be a boy,” she said.

Smith said her girl juniors once only made references to David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, but no longer.

“We talk about Lionesses matches, we talk about WSL matches, as opposed to Premier League matches,” she said

Witham Town FC went from zero girls’ teams to six after the Euros 2022. It now has 10, including a new ladies side.

One of the coaches Simon, 54, got the ball rolling for his three-year-old daughter, Ella, after she developed “a taste for football” from watching on the sidelines.

“We wouldn’t have been doing this if she didn’t exist, if she hadn’t said, ‘I want to play’. She’s consumed by the sport,” he said.

“Several parents have come to me and said ‘my daughter suffers with anxiety, with ADHD, with behavioural issues, and I need an outlet for them’.”

Simon said they gained a social life by speaking to girls outside their usual social circles.

He attributes his success to outreach at schools and nurseries, where he offers free taster sessions.

At boys games he said they would see their sisters on the touchline, maybe in fold-up chairs, and ask them a simple question:

“Look, why don’t you come and play?”