Celebrating our former Trustee this International Women’s Day

This International Womens Day, we want to celebrate one of our inspirations, former Trustee, Jacqueline Middleton, who has done a huge amount for others throughout her life. 

Mrs Middleton, 92, retired from the Age UK Norwich Board of Trustees’ at the end of 2023, having been in post for almost 25 years. Ageing well isn’t the only cause she’s championed, having worked and volunteered in employment law and adult mental health too. 

Mrs Middleton has been an outstanding public figure over decades locally. An expert in employment law, she worked with Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) supporting people on issues like redundancy, racial discrimination, equal pay and unfair dismissal. She studied employment law at the University of East Anglia, while continuing to volunteer her time to help those who needed specialist advice. She later became the first person employed by the CAB as a specialist in employment law nationally and her efforts helped many hundreds of people who were in no position to represent themselves or afford legal costs to gain justice.

Mrs Middleton was a founder of the Norfolk Community Law Service in 1985 and chaired it for some years.  She became the ‘go-to’ local expert on employment law, offering advice on Radio Norfolk, appearing on Radio Cambridge, Radio Four and Anglia TV. She wrote for Cosmopolitan magazine, wrote a book on employment law, gave talks to employers’ groups, lectured at City College and was later employed by a city law firm as an employment specialist. 

Mrs Middleton also has a long-standing interest and involvement in adult mental health issues. She remains a Hospital Manager under the Mental Health Act, chairing hearings at which patient appeals against being sectioned are considered. In 2022, Mrs Middleton was appointed to the Mental Health and Complex Care Board of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, reporting to the main board as a patients’ and carers’ representative. Her particular interest is in staff training at acute hospitals, focusing on mental health issues, particularly dementia and eating disorders. She spearheaded initiatives like the SEED Patients’ Guidance, which outlined a new way of treating people with severe and enduring eating disorders. 

Mrs Middleton joined the Board of Age UK Norwich (then known as Age Concern Norwich) in 1999. She said, “I was getting older myself, and I had been coming across people in my work who were getting older and having great difficulty with that. It was also clear that the demographic was shifting, towards an older population, and I felt it was an issue that needed attention locally,”

Mrs Middleton helped to guide the charity’s growth and transition to become a significantly larger employer offering new services, which tackled loneliness and offered respite to carers of those living with dementia - often elderly themselves. She also provided legal guidance to the Board, and led on disciplinary, HR and employment issues for many years. She chaired the HR Committee until 2022, and five years ago took a role in handling the sale of a house left to Age UK Norwich as a legacy. Mrs Middleton decided to retire as a Trustee of Age UK Norwich in December 2023, saying it was time for fresh blood on the Board.

Dan Skipper, CEO at Age UK Norwich said “We wanted to recognise Jacqueline this International Women’s Day. She’s had an incredible life, selflessly supporting others through her work and volunteering. We were incredibly lucky to have her on our Board for almost 25 years, not only because of her skills and knowledge, but also because of her passion for the cause and her determination to make a difference to as many people as possible.”

Alastair Roy, Chair of Trustees at Age UK Norwich said “Jacqueline made me very welcome when I was appointed Chair and she played a full and constructive role in Board and committee meetings.  She had a glint in her eye when teasing, coupled with a determination to “do the right thing”. Part of International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s achievements and Jacqueline has a huge list of those. She was a real asset to our Board for over two decades and she’ll always be thought of as part of the Age UK Norwich family.”