Within six months of arriving on Scott Road, Isilda and a couple of other women, led a revolution at the St James parent and toddler group to turn it into an excellent focal point for babies, toddlers and their parents. And at the same time, she became an institution for a smaller number of families around Pitsmoor as one of the wonderful and reliable local childminders. Her warmth and enjoyment of small children shines through, and her plentiful supplies of home cooking are the stuff of local legend.
On top of all this, for over ten years Isilda has volunteered for the Red Cross as a teacher of first aid for both children and parents. When SureStart arrived in Burngreave, it was natural that Isilda would be employed first as a family support worker and then as an early years practitioner – the classic example of local skilled women being the best placed to provide local services. And still found time to be the treasurer for the city’s Chilean Association!
St James parent and toddler group is still a warm and chaotic morning full of children and talk and laughter. How good that ‘one of our own’ refugees from Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile has become a stalwart for the next generation of Pitsmoor children…