You may have heard that the village lost long-standing resident and powerhouse Ann Childs in early January 2024. Many people in the community knew her simply as ‘Aunty Ann’. She was such an active part of Barrow life it may come as a surprise to know that she was not born here. In 1940 Ann was born in Loughborough, to Frank and Min Wilford. She grew up remembering rationing, blackouts, and air raids.

The family, including brothers Barry and John, moved to Barrow with Frank’s job as shop manager for Geo. Hill the grocer. Ann talked about accompanying her dad on the delivery round to local farms and outlying houses. She saw many changes here as the village grew, embraced them and welcomed new villagers. The family joined the church and Ann remained a committed member of Barrow Baptist until the end.

On leaving Humphrey Perkins, Ann became a nurse, training in Leicester and then working as a nurse in the theatres at Loughborough General.

Ann met Tony Childs when he moved to the village as a student, beginning a relationship together which would last 53 years. At the start of their married life, Ann committed her life to raising their three young children and became a housewife for a while. The family was complete, but Tony and Ann still opened their home to many others. High days and holidays were spent with a variety of guests and their door was always open.

Ann joined and led different village and church groups, and ran the playgroup in the Baptist Sunday School room. As the kids grew Ann started working again, part time as a practice nurse – first at Barrow surgery for Doctors Earl and Sheriffs, then at The Banks surgery in Sileby with a special role in visiting and caring for seniors. Village folk would pop into the Childs’ South Street home to have cuts and bruises fixed by Aunty Ann. She was a well-known sight speeding round the village on her heavy black bicycle. The team at the Banks looked after her so well in return during her later years.

Ann loved creating and craft and was inspired to make many of the banners in the church. She loved dressmaking and certainly liked to combine pattern and colour in a joyful way.

She was the driving force behind the knitted poppy project for Remembrance in 2018, involving so many people across the community.

And of course, Ann had a penchant for wearing hats. She would take any opportunity to wear a different hat, modifying ribbons and colours to reflect the event. She appeared in the 2022 Jubilee edition of Barrow Voice in a red, white and blue trimmed hat.

After a stroke in 2019 she was determined to continue living independently. Ann celebrated her 80th birthday during the 2020 Covid lockdown. Her absent friends produced videos for her to know she was loved and rewatching the messages brought so much comfort to her.

In what turned out to be her last few weeks, she was planning for the future and determined to get fitter so she could walk around the village again. Ann’s desire was to feel safe and be at home in Barrow. With the love of friends and family we are pleased she was granted her final wish.

The family are so grateful for the generous donations in Ann’s memory, the final total was over £300 which went to the Soar Valley Community Food Project.

Jayne Childs, Ann’s daughter