One of the most popular people in Bourne is Mrs Lesley Patrick, dedicated worker for a multitude of good causes, close friend to many and known to hundreds for her bright and optimistic outlook. In fact, her life has become so closely involved with the community that she has become a household name.

Lesley shot to prominence in 1989 when the outdoor pool was threatened with closure, taking up the cudgel on behalf of the people of Bourne who were reluctant to loose such a well liked public amenity. She lobbied councillors, recruited the support of our M P, called a public meeting at the Corn Exchange and organised a public protest march through the town while collecting 4,000 signatures on a petition, a strong body of protest that could not be ignored with the result that the pool was saved and in 1990, with the co-operation of Bourne United Charities, she became the first chairman of the Outdoor Pool Preservation Trust.

Her endeavours on behalf of the town also spurred her on to greater civic duty and despite having six children to bring up, she became a town councillor and served as Mayor of Bourne from 1994-95, also supporting a large number of other local organisations and charitable causes.

Lesley was born at Wickham Market, Suffolk, in 1949, but the family moved to London and then Essex, and she attended the infant primary school at Manor Park, Ashingdon, Essex and the Greensward School at Hockley. Although only 16, she became a Sunday School teacher during her time in Essex and was soon involved in fund raising for a day care centre, a precursor of her life to come. After leaving school, she went to work for a friendly society in Baker Street, North London, for seven years while pursuing her hobby of entering beauty competitions. “No, it was not vanity”, she explained in later years. “It was just a wonderful way of having a great social life, winning lots of super prizes and enjoying a really nice hobby.”

In 1971, she won the Miss Anglia TV contest, thus entitling her to a contract with the Norwich based television channel and this led to many engagements during her year in office, meeting people and going places, modelling and on promotional work, including a visit to the Royal Anglian Regiment then serving with the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. It was while in Peterborough during this period that she met Melvyn Patrick, the hairdresser, who she married in 1974 and they moved to live in Bourne and raised a family of six children, a son and five daughters.

While the children were still young she became involved with the Abbey CE Primary School in Abbey Road, becoming a parent-governor and chairman and committee member of the Parent Teacher Association, organising major events such as the Easter Extravaganza and the annual fireworks display, both of which remain major fund raising occasions, and it was at this time that the challenge of the outdoor pool came along, a project that took up her time for the next ten years. During this period, Lesley was also a Sunday School teacher at St Michael's and All Angels Church at Edenham, secretary of the Alzheimer's Disease Society (South Lincolnshire branch) for three years and honorary area chairman of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for two years.

Her mayoralty was the peak of the civic career which followed and despite a divorce in 1993, she continued with a heavy schedule of public work with many organisations, serving as a committee member of the Civic Society, chairman of the Royal British Legion (Women’s Section, Bourne branch) as well as being their Poppy Day Appeal co-ordinator for three years, committee member of the local Crime Prevention Panel, assistant worker at the Bourne Youth Centre for four years. During her time as Mayor of Bourne and for a while afterwards, she also turned journalist writing a popular fortnightly column for the Stamford Mercury dealing with events in the town called Lesley Patrick on the Bourne Beat.

Lesley's family have also been active members of the town’s Twinning Association for 16 years and she is currently the vice-chairman. Since 1998, she has also been leader of the Gateway Leisure Club for people with learning disabilities, an organisation with over 50 members attending weekly sessions at the Bourne Youth Centre sponsored by the youth service of Lincolnshire County Council.

She gave up council work in 2002 to devote her time to her family and a new career as a foster carer for the Adolescent and Children's Trust (TACT) which she has found most rewarding as well as looking after elderly friends in the town. “Somehow, for many years, I have always had an elderly person under my wing and one particularly, Kath Cox, was such a character and I miss her so much since she died. Now my girls keep saying that I must not take on any more old ladies because I will soon be one myself.”

Her children all have successful careers. Son Sheridan works as a hairdresser, as his late father did before him, while Meredith is employed as a racing secretary by Godolphin at their racing stables in Newmarket and Dubai, Kaitlyn, Kristen and Anjuli are all teachers and Bethany is studying at Sheffield University. “Above all”, said Lesley, “my family always take precedence although I am now looking forward to some 'me' time now that I have reached my 60th birthday and can't wait to commence travelling again in the near future."

As a mark of Lesley's high regard for others, she decided against a celebratory party to mark her 60th birthday and organised a midsummer charity ball at the Corn Exchange, Bourne, instead, inviting people to buy tickets rather than gifts and cards, with the result that she was able to send a cheque for almost £1,500 to the World Cancer Research Fund in London.

Lesley is a delight to know, as summed up by journalist Betty James when she was featured in her Interview of the Month for the Abbey Church parish magazine in the issue for June 2009. “For anyone who has not met Lesley“, wrote Betty, “here are just a few adjectives that so well describe the personality of this dynamic lady, a bundle of energy and someone who never knows when to stop. She is also generous, compassionate, jolly, outspoken, reliable. Everyone who knows her regards her with tremendous admiration.”

NOTE: Melvyn Patrick died in July 2009, aged 61, after a long battle with cancer.

WRITTEN AUGUST 2009

See also

The Outdoor Swimming Pool      Bourne Town Council     Mrs Kath Cox