Ann Brown

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Summary

Based on an interview recorded on 26 September 2009. It reflects the interviewee’s life and memories at that time.

Born in Oxford in 1941, Ann Brown (née Woolmer) trained as a children’s nurse and moved to Hereford in 1964 after marrying Derrick, whom she had known since childhood. Their early years were spent in Tupsley, before building a family bungalow at Tyler’s Croft in Fownhope, where they raised their sons Mark and Christopher. Ann returned to nursing when the children were older, specialising in ophthalmic care at the Victoria Eye Hospital in Hereford, where she swiftly rose to become Sister in charge.

Ann became deeply involved in village life. As Parish Clerk, she helped oversee major initiatives, including the transformation of the old school into a squash court. She and Derrick also ran “Contact,” an early village newsletter. She was instrumental in starting the church tea and coffee rota and contributed regularly to flower arranging both in the church and the county hospital chapel.

Perhaps her most lasting legacy is SMART – St Mary’s Amateur Rural Theatre – which began as a one-off fundraiser and blossomed into nine years of church-based theatrical productions. Ann produced, directed, and often wrote scripts, engaging up to 30 people aged 4 to 70+. SMART inspired the creation of Sunday Club, which Ann helped lead for over a decade. Held monthly in the school, it brought children together for craft, music, drama, and Christian teaching, supported by a devoted team of volunteers – including Derrick, who managed admin and tidied the glitter.

Ann speaks warmly of Fownhope, its landscape, its people, and her roots in the village. With three generations of family now laid to rest in the churchyard, and countless hours given in voluntary service, Ann’s connection to the village is enduring. “We’ve travelled widely,” she says, “but there’s nowhere like Fownhope.”