Around 200 people who felt the “life-time impact” made from a woman who dedicated her life to helping others attended her funeral.
Janice Wells, who lived in Leytonstone and spent her life aiding the local community and particularly struggling young people, died on January 1 this year.
But Ms Wells, who left behind three daughters and ten grandchildren, was so loved by the local community and the lives she touched that the family were flooded with messages of appreciation for her work.
She spent the early years of her career at the Cathall Road estate in Leytonstone at its first community centre, the Adventure playground, and went on to manage the site for nine years until 1983.
The centre attracted around 70 people a day, and the multicultural crowd who gathered there reflected the changing nature of the estate and her passion in aiding “equality and diversity”.
The Adventure provided a place for young people to belong and be themselves, and reduced criminal activity that many had been drawn into.
Daughter Julie Wilson said that a lot of people said “the choices they made in their life were shaped by her guidance”.
She said: “As well as providing them with activities to have a good time, she was so much more than that, she had kind of a caring role.
“She had three daughters, but she was a mum to so many. Her role went far beyond just providing activities to them. She really cared for them.”
Ms Well’s ethos was that “nobody should be written off” and according to her daughter, Ms Wells was the “least judgemental person” which made her so approachable when people felt they made mistakes.
And after helping people when they were young, Ms Wells kept a personal connection with many of her clients up to their adulthood.
Linda Broomfield, one person who had Ms Wells as her group leader at the Adventure playground, said: “If somebody can have an impact on you at the age of four and I’m 54, that says a lot.”
Ms Wells went on to manage the Sidmouth Park playscheme in Leyton, and trained to become a tutor while simultaneously working towards her BA in cultural studies despite a poor academic background.
She then managed a youth club for nine years and beyond that, she worked as a counsellor nearly up until she fell ill.
Her daughters and grandchildren are all “trying to make a difference in this world and that was led by her,” explained the daughter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here