UPDATE January 2025 About me:

A loving mum to 2 sons aged 35 and 37 and a daughter aged 30. I'm also a grandma to 6 (3 boys and 3 girls)

Both my sons have now flown the nest, married and moved away from London and I have one daughter living at home . I have been a Flickr member since 2005 (an astonishng 20 years !) and currently have over 169,000 photos uploaded. ( **In may 2025 this has risen to 175,153 uploads!)

Where I am from:

I was born in London's East End in The London Hospital in Whitechapel. I live in East London still (always have done) and I'm of Irish descent (Both of my parents were from Donegal, Ireland)

What do I do:

I work part time from home - working voluntarily as a welfare and benefit advisor which involves helping people complete their: PIP , UC and ESA benefit claims, housing applications, freedom pass, taxi card, Blue badge and various other applications. I also help with debt management, appeals advice and representation. I also do hospital advocacy work too. I am a resident operations committee member of my Housing Association. I am a community and well being champ in the borough of Tower Hamlets where I live and a member of many steering groups ( (including Dementia and Cancer) and a health champ with the Public Health Team.

I was a carer to my mum until July 2012. After she passed away, it freed up a whole lot more of my time and now I volunteer at the Royal London Hospital in London's Whitechapel. I was a 'trolley dolly' going around wards and departments with the mobile trolley shop selling to patients, carers and staff and now I'm a patient advocate and a Patient Experience Team Panel Member.

I love exploring Flickr - in any spare time I've got ! !

Other interesting facts:

I am an 'Environment Volunteer' for my local council (The London Borough of Tower Hamlets) which involves reporting 'eyesores' such as dumped waste, uncollected recycling, abandoned vehicles, graffiti faulty street lighting or pavements, fly tipping, defects on the highways - in -fact anything that the Council may not already know about

In the summer of 2009, I was elected as the Secretary of the Tenants Association where I live. This involves following up any issues that are of concern and of course chairing meetings as well as doing the minute write ups too ! ( I'm a multi -tasker - yes !)

I am also the secretary of my GP's Patient Participation group. I am a 'Patients Experience Panel' member for The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel and a Barts Health NHS Trust member.

I hope you enjoy my photos which tend mainly to be of family (mostly hidden to maintain privacy) or of the locality I live in. However, there are an increasing number of other kinds of photos - as I get more and more experienced in taking exciting , creative and interesting ones ! ! These include the construction and conversion of the old disused Royal London Hospital into London Borough of Tower Hamlets civic centre which opened in early 2023.

Feel free to pass any comments . . .