OUR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE JENNIFER WORTH

It was with pride mixed with sadness that members of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists viewed the BBC 1 Television programme on Sunday, CALL THE MIDWIFE. Written by our member, the late Jennifer Worth, whose life is played out in the film by the lovely young actress, Jessica Raine, the film was so poignant for her family and close friends.  Do watch the next episode on Sunday at 8pm.  The older Jennifer's voice brings Vanessa Redgrave into the production.

Trained as a very young nurse, Jennifer became a midwife, ward sister and night-sister from 1953 until 1973. Jennifer knew the East End of London, particularly Poplar, so well and the film producer and director have faithfully kept to the themes of her book.

Having written so movingly about the beginning of life, Jennifer’s last book In the Midst of Life explored the complexities surrounding how we die. Written with passion and conviction, this book is about the mystery, the beauty, the loneliness and the aspirations of death.

Here are a few of my photographs taken at our SWWJ Summer Festival in London's Royal Over-seas League.  It was a privilege and pleasure to have Jennifer' company. She enjoyed meeting our Life President, Shirley Williams (Baroness Williams of Crosby) and our then chairman, Jean Morris and we loved chatting with her.

CLACTON BORN AUTHOR'S BEST SELLING TRILOGY

Members of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists mourned the recent death of Jennifer Worth, one of our best selling authors.  Jennifer was born in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex and grew up in Amersham.  She trained as a nurse and midwife during the 1950s "wanting a challenge" and certainly found this in her work in the East End of London.  In this deprived area, she delivered fifty per cent of babies in overcrowded homes, often in terrible conditions.  Life in Popar was so difficult for the people living in the area in war-torn London, but their humour was life-enhancing.

Jennifer's trilogy  Call the Midwife (2002), Shadows of the Workhouse (2005) and Farewell to the East End (2009), describing a world before the contraceptive pill and legalised abortion, is absolutely fascinating and she has written from the heart.  Her narrative was full of tales of resilience and - unusually - often funny despite the grimmest conditions.

Selling almost a million copies in Britain alone, Jennifer's books brought her to the attention of the film producers and Call the Midwife  is now being made into a television series for the BBC.  Will keep readers up to date on when it will appear.

Jennifer was trained as a nurse, midwife, ward sister and night sister from 1953 until 1973. She was a nurse at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and then moved to London for her midwifery training. She later became a staff nurse at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, then ward sister at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston; later working at the Marie Curie Hospital in Hampstead.

Having written so movingly about the beginning of life, Jennifer’s latest book In the Midst of Life explored the complexities surrounding how we die. Written with passion and conviction, this book is about the mystery, the beauty, the loneliness and the aspirations of death.

Our friend Jennifer attended last year's Summer Festival in London and it was a pleasure to have her company.   She enjoyed meeting our Life President, Shirley Williams (Baroness Williams of Crosby) and we certainly loved chatting with her.

JENNIFER WORTH'S BEST SELLING BOOK IS TO BE FILMED

Pictured here with our Life President, Shirley Williams (Baroness Williams of Crosby), SWWJ member Jennifer Worth is discussing her superb book Call the Midwife which has proved to be an amazingly successful best-seller during 2010. Estimated sales are more than 300,000 copies. As a midwife and nursing sister, trained in the strict regime of hospital life almost sixty years ago, Jennifer describes in her book many of her experiences in London’s East End. Jennifer originally self-published this book in 2006 and The Times journalist Matthew Parris endorsed her work in his regular column. It wasn’t too long before her book attracted attention from an agent for Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Call the Midwife is currently being filmed for a TV series. We are thrilled for our talented colleague and hope that her earlier books Shadow of the Workhouse and Farewell to the East End, also reach similarly dizzy heights.

Jennifer was trained as a nurse, midwife, ward sister and night sister from 1953 until 1973. She was a nurse at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and then moved to London for her midwifery training. She later became a staff nurse at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, then ward sister at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston; later working at the Marie Curie Hospital in Hampstead.

Having written so movingly about the beginning of life, Jennifer’s latest book In the Midst of Life explores the complexities surrounding how we die. Written with passion and conviction, In the Midst of Life may prove to be one of the most influential books of the decade.