Life Membership

NWR's three Honorary Life Members were Betty Jerman, Maureen Nicol and Mary Stott. Sadly Mary Stott died on 16th September 2002 aged 95. These three women were NWR's first trustees, appointed in 1980 when the organisation acquired its charitable status.

Betty Jerman journalist and author, instigator and campaigner 26 June 1922 – 8 July 2010 Betty Jerman, journalist and author, instigator and campaigner, has died after a short illness from cancer. When NWR was granted charitable status in 1980, Betty was appointed one of the three trustees - a position she held for nineteen years. She was also the author of ‘The Lively-Minded Women', which charts the history of the first 20 years of the NWR. Click here to find out more about Betty's Life
Maureen Nicol OBE: Honorary Life Member Maureen Nicol OBE wrote the letter calling for the formation of a national register of housewives to the Manchester Guardian in response to the article written by Betty Jerman. This led to the formation of the National Housewives Register (renamed the National Women's Register in 1987). Maureen was appointed a trustee of the organisation when it gained charitable status in 1980, retiring in 1993. In 1995 she was awarded the OBE in the Queen's Birthday honours for her services to women in founding NWR in 1960.
Gill Vine and Jean Stirk: Life Members This category was introduced in 2001 for retiring Trustees who had served for ten years and who were not members of a local group at the time of retiring. Life Members Gill Vine (left) and Jean Stirk at the 2001 National Conference Jean Stirk is a former Chair of the National Group and was elected a trustee in 1991, resigning ten years later. Gill Vine is a former National Organiser and was elected a trustee in 1991 a post she held for ten years.