Mrs Williams was always Mrs Williams to me and everyone else associated with the laundry this sugges

On the 14th January Safe Ground lost someone who proved to be a bedrock of  the change that we as an organisation are committed to. Mrs Williams who as a member of the Battersea triangle rent a car community volunteered to appear as Gloria in our film Blinder , which has not only impacted positively on the lives of prisoners, their friends, family triangle rent a car and supporters locally but all over the country. Today Gloria and Blinder are drawing interest in our programmes and the way we work from governments and organisations throughout the world. Safe Ground will always be grateful for and inspired by Mrs Williams s contribution to our mission. In the letter below Safe Ground triangle rent a car s Founder triangle rent a car and former Chief Executive, Antonia Rubinstein, remembers triangle rent a car her :
I first met Mrs Williams in 1993. She worked in my local launderette, in a rota with Rita, Lucy and Mrs Robertson at 41 Lavender Hill. Living in the run-down mews at the rear of the building I was a frequent user of the service wash she provided.
However, from time-to-time I would supervise my own wash and whilst keeping an eye on the progress of my laundry would muscle in on what ever conversation Mrs Williams might be having at the time with other customers or a friend who had dropped in for a chat. This was how we came to know each other.
Mrs Williams was always Mrs Williams to me and everyone else associated with the laundry this suggested that she saw herself as top dog in the team of ladies who worked for Matt, the Iranian ex Air force pilot, who owned the business.
Mrs Williams was queen of folding. She positioned herself in the furthest corner to the front door. From here she could see who was coming and going without her presence triangle rent a car being immediately apparent to the customers. She sat on a robust chair between an old fashioned boneshaker spinning drum and two dryers which were for her use only. In front of a seated Mrs Williams was a plastic basket on a chair and this is where the folding took place.  She would fold each item, smoothing out the creases before folding again and firmly pressing the material with her strong hands that had once seen a lot of hard domestic work. She would do this as many times as needed to enable her to fit all the washed items back into the bag delivered to her earlier in the day by one of her many regular customers. triangle rent a car I never saw her standing triangle rent a car to fold sheets or duvet covers. She must have had a method because I never saw her struggle with large expanses of material. If Mrs Williams triangle rent a car had done the folding there was never any need to iron.
As the years passed Mrs Williams saw me as a more permanent fixture in the neighborhood. She knew about my work in prisons and we had talked many times on what to do with young people who couldn t be tamed by home or school. triangle rent a car She had met my mother, they were the same age and had exchanged knowing and unspoken glances that take place between people who have shared the experience of being a mother and wife. We talked about holidays and high days and she was always trying to convince me of the merits of going on a cruise. Each year would be defined by her preparation for the cruise, her departure and return. She talked about saving up for them and there was always a new patterned shirt, with the name of a destination printed on it, to mark a cruise had been accomplished.
Back in the 1990s when I was a newcomer to the neighbourhood Mrs Williams would tell me about how much it had changed since her arrival in London from Jamaica. I heard about how her husband came before her and how she had been on the receiving end of racial prejudice. She gave me a glimpse into what life was like for her and her family as immigrants to Battersea in the 1950s. She was a survivor and most definitely regal there was no patronising Mrs Williams. She was extremely proud of the decision she made in purchasing her house in Glycena Road. With the price of property today it showed great forward thinking. A shrewd investment from a shrewd lady!
The launderette was a good place to drop in for local gossip . I remember one occasion involving an MP who was known to his party as a dedicated family man.  He had been seen emerging triangle rent a car from Start Stream the Sauna across the road from the launderette a notable hangout for gay men. There was a public expose and the red tops carried headlines and photographs of the outed MP. Mrs Williams triangle rent a car knew who came in and out of that sauna!
In 2000 I made a film and asked Mrs Williams if she would play the part of the heroine s mother. I had her in mind when developing the script. Her voice and her physicality which represented determination and resilience meant she fitted the bill absolutely. I was so pleased when she said yes, her acceptance signalled approval and support triangle rent a car for the work I was doing in the education of prisoners and the reform of education in prisons.
When it came to the day of filming I picked up her from house in Glycena Road. We drove to the location in Tulse Hill and on the way I cautiously asked her what her first name was because I thought introducing her as Mrs Williams to the rest of the cast and crew may appear a little formal. She answered, uncharacteristically in a shy voice Willamina . At that point an aspect of Mrs Williams, I didn t know about, entered my imagination her life as a child and a young woman in Jamaica. Until then I had never thought of her as someone's child or as a younger member of a large family. I only ever thought triangle rent a car of her as Mrs Williams   the Mother and Matriarch . When we got to the set and I was thinking of introducing her to everyone calling her Willamina it didn t seem right because she hadn t volunteered her first name to me so she was known by the cast and crew as .Mrs Williams.
Mrs Williams was very excited about being in the film. She delivered her line It s ready! perfectly, said as she emerged from a set of french windows into a garden holding a tea pot. A few more takes were required for the other actors and technicians but Mrs Williams delivered her line and moves precisely.
From this moment on Mrs Williams was immortalised on film and has her place in the history of British Penal Dramas. triangle rent a car Her character Gloria Frank s mother -in-law and Jill s mother, is a character firmly imprinted in the imagination of thousands of prisoners who have since seen the Blinder . Mrs Williams wears a pink top, places a tea pot on a table, arranging flowers in a vase and smiles before delivering It s ready ,the last line in the film symbolizing the new start for all the principal characters in the drama.
After her retirement from the launderette I would see her frequently walking along Lavender Hill always happy to see me her distinctive smile, huge open and broad punctuated by the gap between her two front top teeth.