Susan’s life in colour: A journalism journey to remember

Within our wonderful care homes are women who have accomplished many things and who share stories of great success. Susan Ross at Green Park Nursing Home in Warrington worked as a Magazine Editor for lots of famous magazines - she has certainly left her mark on the world (literally, in ink). We couldn’t wait to ask her and her family some questions about her achievements.

It’s Women’s History Month, and Sue’s history is fascinating to say the least. When she finished her cookery course and left college, she started her journey into the world of food journalism. It wasn’t until after she met her second husband Richard that she began working for the magazine “Good Housekeeping”.

Shortly after, Richard and Sue left with their children for South Africa where Sue’s career went from strength to strength and she began working for the magazine "Fair Lady".

One of Susan’s work friends from the time told us “I met Sue in 1970 when we both worked for Fair Lady magazine in Cape Town. Sue wrote for the cookery section and was known for her quick, easy and nutritious dishes.”

“Sue is intelligent, witty and yet also has this spiritual side which saw her making sandwiches for people living in poverty at a Buddhist project. She has always loved caring for others and was also a talented painter who created large colourful canvases.”

Everyone who has ever known Sue has described her as a very vibrant, colourful person who had lots of different passions. She also taught yoga while she was living in South Africa.

Another friend who knew Sue while working at Fair Lady said that she had already heard of Sue’s culinary writing before she met her and was an avid collector of her recipes from her food journalism days.

She added: “Sue was also a very successful South African cookbook writer, publishing ‘South African Countrywide Cooking’. I worked for Octopus books on my return to the UK and we got her on board creating numerous tiles for Sainsbury’s… cream cakes being one of them!”

Both of her friends describe their memories with Sue as filled with laughter, and those who see her nowadays know this to still be true.

Sue’s daughter Sophie told us: “When I asked mum why she keeps all her clothes on a rail for everyone to see, she said – How would I see all the beautiful colours? It looks like a rainbow!”

Sue is a colourful character inside and out, and we’re so grateful to her and her family and friends for sharing her amazing story with us.

Living on one of our wonderful Reconnect specialist dementia care communities means that Sue is encouraged to get involved in baking and arts and crafts to engage with her life passions when she chooses – she also has lots of colourful decorations in her room! Thank you to Activities Coordinator Lisa for helping us learn more about Sue and for always ensuring that she can engage in activities which bring out her inner rainbow.

If you’re interested in learning more about our wonderful Warrington home, then take a look here. If you’re interested in a career at the home instead, then why not take a look at the current vacancies available here, and you could join us in making a difference to people’s lives today.