Creative Interests

Jane seemed to enjoy creative activities where she could communicate with people.

These ranged from writing poetry, short stories and novels to acting in school productions, gaining medals and certificates from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for verse-speaking and performance, and becoming a member of the Croydon Youth Theatre (CYTO).

She appeared in a number of productions at the Croydon Youth Theatre including Toad of Toad Hall and The Crucible.

As Betty Paris in The Crucible.

Much of her writing took place in her small back bedroom overlooking town gardens. Here she wrote  constantly, it seemed, in pencil, ball-point or fountain pen, her beloved cats Cally (Excalibur) and Cherie sleeping soundly at her feet – filling exercise books, jotters, loose leaf papers, and occasionally typing out third or fourth drafts of what she had written.

Her diary is full of her profoundest thoughts and entries were made until a few days before her death. The diary is remarkably hopeful, given the ordeal Jane was undergoing. It is not long but densely packed with insights and evocations of her final journey, all in neat careful handwriting.

She liked to share her efforts with people and this led to her making many friends. We hope that sense of friendship can be extended through her writing.