My wife, Rose Hallam, who has died aged 69 of cancer, was an inspiration to many through her work as an occupational therapist, in mental health and community services, and as a maker of jewellery.
After training at the London School of Occupational Therapy, Rose began her working life in Oxford in 1975 as deputy head occupational therapist at the Warneford hospital. In 1985 she became the third director (chief executive) of Restore, a mental health charity based in the Cowley area of the city.
She took this position at an interesting time when Restore was increasingly forming a presence in the community and the tight links with the psychiatric hospitals were loosening. Although Restore’s base at Manzil Way was well established, Rose oversaw a broadening of activity on that site, and under her guidance the charity was able to utilise land at the Elder Stubbs allotments nearby at Rymers Lane, providing therapeutic opportunities in horticulture, cooking and craft for people recovering from mental ill-health.
As a result of successful bids to charitable sources, including the national lottery, it became possible to build on both sites, enabling Restore to grow into the much larger organisation it is today. She helped to forge links with other voluntary organisations and began reducing the stigma of mental health by interacting with the community at large through events such as the annual Elder Stubbs festival.
She was born into the thriving postwar artists’ community of St Ives, Cornwall, and was educated at Penzance girls’ grammar school. Her father, Malcolm Haylett, was a portrait painter and her mother, Jean (nee Burton), a fashion designer. It was an idyllic and happy childhood and St Ives was always her spiritual home.
Being surrounded by such creativity had a lasting effect on Rose, instilling in her a love of colour and design. This manifested itself in her unique style of hand-painted and photomontage jewellery.
After leaving Restore in 2001 she worked as a freelance consultant specialising in health, social welfare and community development; and dedicated more time to jewellery making, showing her work at various galleries and exhibiting regularly with the Oxfordshire Craft Guild. Her pieces based on the work of Edward Burne-Jones were selected for display in the Tate Britain shop during a major exhibition of the artist’s work in 2018.
Rose was an avid gardener, knowledgable botanist and grower of vegetables throughout her life. In 2015 she maintained her lifelong dedication to the wellbeing of others by becoming a trustee of Bridewell Organic Gardens, a mental health recovery project in west Oxfordshire.
She and I married in St Ives in 1974, having met there on Porthmeor beach the previous summer. Always energetic, creative and never bored, Rose was an inspiration to many. Her long illness was endured with typical fortitude and bravery. She made many lasting friends throughout her life.
She is survived by me and her sister, Jenny.
