“I’m Rob Morris, one of the sons of Frances Jones who (together with Mary Edwards) shared the same passion and hope for a new organisation that would put people’s mental health and wellbeing front and centre of its purpose. Together they co-founded the Mary Frances Trust.
But first, let me tell you a bit about who my mum…
Mary Frances Lourda Winter, was born in 1942, in Preston.
Her parents met at Liverpool Lime Street train station during the Second World War and after living in Liverpool for a short period of time, they moved South to raise their children.
Frances grew up in a tight knit and loving family, together with her younger sister.
The family home was in West Norwood but the connections back to relatives in Liverpool were strong throughout their early years.
I think my mum learned a lot about the importance of family, being kind, lending a helping hand, and being interested in people by her Liverpudlian relatives.
Also, about being open, friendly, and tolerant, particularly by her parents, especially her Dad, who would share time and a story or two with anyone!
Her young adult years
My mum went to a convent school which was very strict, and which didn’t get the best out of her.
This was in 1950’s post-war and 60’s Britain when there were many distractions.
Mum was a vivacious and spirited person, and wanted to get out into the world, earn some money, and enjoy life.
However, marriage came early at the age of 18, a new surname (of Morris), a first born (Simon) when she was 19 and a second child (me, Robert) at just 22 years old.
This was perhaps typical of the time, but very young to have a family.
Although, our father cared for us as children, he did not nurture our mum, and expected her to be at home pretty much full-time.
Unfortunately, when we were both at Primary School in Battersea, he became violent and was abusive towards her.
That was a very difficult time and we had to move out and live with our grandparents for a while.
Lavender Hill and beyond…
Mum had a job as a typist in Lavender Hill Police Station, working in the Probation Office.
She saw there what was involved in helping people after time in prison, many of whom would have significant mental health issues and would otherwise have been unsupported in reintegrating into society.
She went on to work for St Mungo’s, a charity for the homeless, again, with vulnerable people who needed support into housing.
Also, absolutely the most important thing to happen to her, and which would affect all our futures, was that she met her second husband at Lavender Hill, a Policeman, called John Jones.
John was a gift to all of us, larger than life, fun, intelligent, kind, gregarious and a man who loved and respected her deeply.
His ability to build her self-confidence and self-belief was pivotal to her moving on from her first marriage, raising her family, and to realising her full potential.
Crucial to this was that they did evening classes and the ‘O’ levels they took together meant that my mum could undertake the qualifications necessary to become a Social Worker, her dream vocation.
Growing up in a household with a Police Officer and a Social Worker was a great grounding for us as children – lots of talking, with both parents wanting to understand people, although with somewhat different approaches to dealing with their behaviours…
They were a great example to us and gave great public service in both of their careers.
The person my mum was…
My mum died in 1998, aged 56 years, which was far too young.
She was the focal point of our family, a brilliant cook, and a home maker.
She was a kind and empathetic person, a very good listener, and someone who could get to know the core of a person within moments – without them even knowing!
We certainly had no chance getting away with things as children…
We all knew that her ability to understand what makes people tick made her a perfect fit for working in mental health and to her becoming a counsellor.
She was also very good at building trust in her relationships, seeing the best in people whilst being gently persuasive and nudging things forward… in the right direction.
Her lived experience was no doubt a major part of being able to do this.
The need for action…
It was in the mid-80s when my mum’s concerns about the intolerably high stigma associated with mental health peaked.
There was little or no support in the community at this time.
The closure of mental hospitals and assumptions that patients could cope in their communities, largely unsupported and stigmatised as they were, acted as a catalyst for her as she saw how many simply couldn’t adapt and were really struggling…
My mum recognised that her and her colleagues would be stretched to the limit and that other skills, services, and resources needed to be brought together to help people, particularly those in crisis.
We heard my mum talk about her research into the clubhouse model, her travels to Sweden and the United States, and how she saw the learning being applied here in Surrey.
A breakthrough would never have happened without the drive and determination that she and Mary then showed:
– to broaden understanding of the clubhouse concept,
– to identify funding,
– to secure a premises,
– recruit a team,
– establish the governance,
– and then open the doors to Mary Frances Trust!
This was nothing short of miraculous and required teamwork.
Many people can identify a cause, even define a potential set of solutions, and the need for change…but fewer can actually make that change happen.
That’s what Mary and Frances did and this is what the MFT now carries forward.
I was a young adult and living away from home at the time my mum was co-founding Mary Frances Trust and that makes it harder to fully understand what actually happened and who else was involved.
However, I hope I’ve conveyed a sense of who my mum was, and why the MFT was so important to her.
I wanted to say how grateful and proud we are for the work that the MFT does.
It’s truly life-changing in its scope. The hopes that Frances and Mary both had for the MFT are being made real by everyone at MFT, and that’s a fantastic tribute to both of the co-founders.
The fact that MFT has developed from the original clubhouse model to a such varied, innovative, and more accessible range of mental health and wellbeing services would have been something they would have welcomed, been proud of, and appreciated was absolutely necessary.
They both recognised that improving people’s mental health and wellbeing needed action”.
“The fact that MFT has developed from the original clubhouse model to a such varied, innovative, and more accessible range of mental health and wellbeing services would have been something they would have welcomed, been proud of, and appreciated was absolutely necessary”.