Biography of Jane

Jane attended a Convent School in North Wales. Her first job, at sixteen years old, was as assistant matron in a school in Bracknell where she learned how to get grass stains out of rugby shirts and pack trunks. She got bored of that job after eighteen months and then got a job in Lichfield in National Westminster Bank, as a counter clerk. Back in the 1960s when she worked there, business customers would bring in their takings in sweet tins and the money would be weighed. There were no computers in those days and all transactions were written in a hand ledger. To progress in the bank, Jane says, you had to be male.

She decided to move jobs again. This time she worked in a local chemists. She enjoyed the job and stayed two years.

In 1968 Jane’s mother noticed an ad in the Daily Telegraph ‘career girls wanted,’ selling greetings cards for Fantasy a subsidiary of Hallmark. Jane and three other girls were successful and she was given a car and a Jaeger uniform. The company used an advert to promote the cards – Jane and the others sat on the bonnets of the cars along with their cards with the slogan, ‘Would you like to meet the girls from Fantasy.’ Jane had a successful career selling cards to retailers in the Midlands until Hallmark closed the company. She was then approached by a young man who asked if she would like to work for his company – this company sold cards and gifts to wholesalers. After eight years there she became the Sales Manager, controlling 60 sales staff.

 Jane got married in 1973 and she had her first daughter in 1980. She opened up a greetings card shop in Addlestone, Surrey but two years later she fell pregnant again and the family moved to Wimbledon because of her husband’s job. In Wimbledon she opened up a large Hallmark shop. When she asked the bank manager for a business account with overdraft facility, he said, ‘before we agree anything Mrs. Colin I really need to meet your husband.’ She got the account without her husband going in and the shop was very successful.

Her husband was made redundant and in the mid 80’s the family moved to Dorking and Jane sold the Wimbledon shop. She was out of work for a short time but hated not working. A clothes shop had recently gone out of business in Dorking and Jane bought the shop. She knew nothing about fashion, she says but with luck, determination and hard work she made a success of the business and expanded it.

 When her husband was diagnosed with cancer they decided to move to Rye as they loved the town. She and her husband bought ‘The Baytree’ which they renovated. She ran the gift shop for ten years.

Jane is now retired but she is still busy with charity work raising money for the hospital and community bus through the Open Gardens Scheme.