We originally interviewed Jackie in November of last year. Since then she has been recognised as ‘Citizen of the Year’. We met with her in her second home, St. Marks Hall.

Rochford Life: Jackie, first of all congratulations on being declared Citizen of the Year. How did that come about?
Jackie:  I think it came about because the young people wanted me to have an award and they put me up for a national award and I came tenth so when Citizen of the Year came up Jo McPherson said did they want to fill in a form, which they did, and that’s how it came about. I was pleased that the young people’s voices had been heard, though I was embarrassed at it, but it’s all due to them.  It will be nice on the award evening, 13th May I think it is in the Freight House, because all the teenagers are coming with me. I went to a Civic Dinner which was a bit posh for me, in Rayleigh Mill, and the food was lovely and they treated me wonderfully and my son Michael bought me a dress for the occasion.  It was nice but I think it is thanks to the young people. I’ve been nominated every year since 2003 and been commended or highly commended, but this was just nice.

RL: Are you doing more today, do you think, than say two years ago?
Jackie: Just a bit! Why? Because people can see that I’m not a horrible person but I’ve got a lot to give.  I won’t conform but I will get the jobs done. I think even the professionals are now looking at what we do and I’ve had other youth clubs come down to see what we do. It’s nice now because I can pick up a phone and I get a good immediate response when we need help for a young person, say. It’s a big team thing really because I couldn’t do what I do without other people picking up on me.  

RL: Do you feel you are getting enough support?
Jackie: I would say yes, but being honest, only if it is their box being ticked, which is natural I suppose.  I’ve been doing it now for ten years and over those ten years it’s like a circle. After ten years all those services are losing their jobs with the cuts.  I have lost people now who have supported me and the young people, through the last two or three years, through the cuts, and so in two or three years we’re going to be back where we started if not worse, and that is what I hate, when they can’t do something that is sustainable. Take our dancing. That was supposed to be a six week’s project but it’s now been running for five years and at the last count there were 180 young people across the District who have come through. It was something that they wanted, and still want. If we only had the money we could do so much more, and most of the people that work with me feel the same.   

RL: I’ve heard you talking about the older generation of teens, boys in particular, who you’ve seen come through to good.
Jackie: Yes, these are my ‘angels with dirty faces’ and I feel really good about them, for they’re like my original kids that I started off with, ten years ago basically, and just recently the fourth one of them came up to me and said, “I’ve got a job now, but I couldn’t have done it without you.” We hadn’t done anything special for him but just sit and talk and help. There are a few who may carry on having difficulties until they grow up a bit more but most of them are doing well now. There are still big problems out there with alcohol and drugs. We’ve got twelve year olds out there who are on drugs, but they don’t listen. Even the professionals have seen it now.

RL: I’ve also heard you expressing a worry about the younger generation of teenagers coming up?
Jackie:  The younger ones, the ones I would say from ten to fourteen that are coming up, they have no boundaries, none at all. Our last lot hadn’t but they liked boundaries. These ones have no self esteem, no self worth and they’ve also got their heroes in the older lot, but they feel they’ve got to be better than them. If you walk round Rochford now, it’s not my ‘angels with dirty faces’ as such, though I have started to work with them, it’s the new generation and the new generation is going to be worse than my older ones.

...at which point our conversation was interrupted by two young ladies who arrive and come in. They are Jackie’s helpers, so we ask them what they think of Jackie. They respond positively so I ask, why?

Them: Because she helps us with the things she does. Buys us food on a Tuesday.
Jackie: I don’t buy it for you, the Parish Council does.
Them: But you cook it for us. If we need it you’re here to talk to. You look out for people and get them out of trouble.
Jackie: So what do you think of me getting ‘Citizen of the Year’ then?
Them: You deserve it because of the things you do.

RL: (I think it’s time I joined in) So you guys live round here?
Them: Yes, just up the road.

RL: So how long have you known Jackie?
Them: Since we were babies
Jackie: Libby, I think when I met you, you were six months old and Page was about three.

RL: Jackie, just now, said you work with her. What do you do?
Them: We clean and they do a disco on Thursdays and we help her with that.
Jackie: What have you learnt?
Them: Social skills from working with the little ones, but buffing the floors with the chemicals when we’ve helped with the cleaning.

RL: So where are you guys at with your education?
Page:  I’m at college doing child development.
Libby: I’m at school and I’ve just picked my options: child care, catering and health and social studies.
Jackie: Would you say being here has helped your confidence?
Libby: Yes, because I used to be pretty shy.
Jackie: After we’ve done the cleaning there are about six who gather here and we put the world to rights. We did the girl-power thing, a project on self-esteem, self-awareness  and self-confidence for girls and we had six girls come, and we brought Catch 22 in and we had pictures done. It was good.