I was delighted to have been invited to the plaque unveiling of Rita Baines, in Trentham. Rita was a remarkable woman who lived in Trentham and did so much during her lifetime. She was a pilot, an air hostess, and she committed her life to charitable work. She was the Chair of the Beth Johnson Foundation in 1972, and Chair of the Beth Johnson Housing Association in 1975, building housing in 17 locations across Staffordshire and beyond.
She became the WRVS hospital welfare organiser for Staffordshire and was awarded an MBE in 1979 for her voluntary social contributions to older people and people with a physical disability. People like Rita are rare and remarkable. It was wonderful to be able to commemorate her varied contributions within Staffordshire, and to meet her proud relatives, as part of the 50 + people who gathered to remember her at the unveiling on Rita Baines Lane, Trentham.
Sue Read,
CEO,
Beth Johnson Foundation