Jenny Roche (nee Spriggs) was born in 1949 at Manchester and lived at Dinmor Road and then Barrowfield Rd. She went to OldWood County Primary School and Whalley Range Grammar School.

Jenny's first job was at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester.

I can remember my first day at work in August 1965 as being nothing less than traumatic. In my mum's day you always got a new coat when you started work so on my first day I was sent off clean and tidy in low-heeled shoes, best white skirt and the new coat -- despite all my pleadings that I should wear something else. You see, while new clothes may have been a nice gesture for mum going to her first job in an office, I was going to work as a Parks Gardener.

Equal Opportunities and Job Discrimination legislation had not yet arrived so girls working as gardeners was a bit of a novelty in 1965. Mind you, Manchester Parks Department could have been said to be in the forefront of equality as they took on as many female horticultural apprentices as applied. Usually it was a lone female who took one of the 16 available places, but that year however, four girls were taken on.

That's where the positive discrimination ended though as it wasn't thought proper for girls to work outside and, without exception, girls were placed in parks with greenhouse ranges, of which there weren't too many at the time.

I happened to start work at the time as a girl by the name of Marion, and we both met at the office in Wythenshawe Park, sandwich boxes tucked under our arms, and were then taken down to the greenhouses.

Walking down we were passed by a man going the other way shouting, 'I'm not staying here, I'm going back to the bowling greens.' It was Mr Myatt (I think that was his name) acting on his objections to women working in an environment he considered exclusively male.

Mr Myatt, an old soldier who'd lost his leg during the war yet still managed to ride a bike, regularly put on his coat and cap and stomped back to the bowling greens, outside territory where women weren't allowed to work, whenever he spotted an aberrant female. It can only be imagined the near heart attack he must have had at seeing not one, but two females bearing down on the greenhouses.

Mr Myatt was always turned around before he reached the end of the pathway and I came to realise he was just one facet of a workplace filled with character and fun.

There were other things that would today be considered extremely detrimental to any female wanting to work in horticulture, but I can say it did become a pleasure to go to work each day, once I'd convinced mum I should wear more comfortable clothing after coming home filthy that is.

On leaving the Parks Department, Jenny went on to work for the Co-op Confectionery in Stockport, Bromley and Beckenham hospitals, Friends Provident & Century Insurance, London, and then Littlewoods Lts, Liverpool.

Jenny Roche, Huyton, 2002