Patricia D.M. Heckels
Patricia Dorothy Mary
Heckels (Batty Shaw)
Voluntary Worker,
Campaigner and Chairman of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes
Patricia
Dorothy
Mary Heckels was born in 1928 at Epsom, Surrey, the daughter of
Graham William Heckels, a general practitioner and medical officer to
the Epson Derby, and Dorothy Anna Clark. She was educated at Wimbledon
High School and then Southampton University where she gained a social
science certificate. She then worked as a lady almoner at Guys
Hospital, London where she met and married Anthony Batty-Shaw, a
physician. After living in Norwich they moved to the village of Barford
where she became involved in the local branch of the Women’s Institute,
becoming Secretary. She then served as treasurer for Norfolk, then
National Treasurer and in 1977 she was elected as the National Chairman
of the Federation of Women’s Institutes.
During
her time as chairman of the WI she came to national prominence during
the "Jam and Jerusalem" crisis of 1980, when the organisation's
412,000-strong membership was threatened with a ban on selling homemade
jam and pickles. The Daily Telegraph records "The crisis began in
Labour-controlled Stockton-on-Tees, where over-zealous local health
inspectors had interpreted government food regulations as preventing
the sale of foodstuffs prepared in private houses, and banned the local
Women's Institute from selling their jam at Stockton market. She swung
into action with a campaign which saw WI branches round the country
lobbying their local MPs with samples of home cooking, while she, as
national chairman, made headlines spoon-feeding ministers with homemade
jam. The campaign was a triumph and the health inspectors were routed.
A subsequent House of Commons early day motion read: "This house
congratulates the Women's Institutes on their continued loyal service
to the nation, sends its greetings and sincerely hopes that they will
continue to make excellent jams and pickles in spite of the
intervention of bureaucracy. The chairman of the House of Commons
catering committee subsequently ordered two tons of jam for
parliamentary consumption."
In
addition to her roles in the WI she was involved in many other local
and national organisations. She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of
Norfolk in 1989. She had a longstanding association with Norwich
Cathedral and chaired the committee that organised the celebrations for
its 900th anniversary in 1996. She became a development commissioner,
an appointment which enabled her to apply her expertise in rural issues
to encourage rural enterprise and community life. She also served as an
independent member of the Agricultural Wages Board, on the IBA Adult
Education Committee and the Central Transport Consultative Committee.
She was chairman of the Norfolk Rural Community Council for six years
and president of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association in 1993 and
a member of Counhcil of the University of East Anglia. She served as
county president of the Girl Guides and was a governor of several
schools. She was also a magistrate and chairman of the Wymondham bench.
She
was appointed a CBE in 1981. Another “honour” was to be a guest of Roy
Plomley on the radio programme Desert Island Discs in 1978.
Patricia
Batty Shaw died on 11 Jun 2004 at Norwich, Norfolk, at age 75 years and
her funeral was held at Norwich Cathedral. Her obituary was published
on 17 Jun 2004 in the Daily Telegraph.
Sources and further Information
Daily Telegraph, 17 Jun 2004: Obituary
Eastern Daily Press, 14 Jun 2004:
Obituary:
Desert Island Discs 22 Jul 1978: Castaway
Patricia Batty Shaw