Mali Jenkins, our founder
Mali Jenkins
4 July 1907 - 11 March 1989
Mali Hilda Christopher Jenkins was born in Chelsea, London, on 4
July 1907. She was the fourth daughter of seven children born to
Tom and Sarah Jenkins.
Her parents, although both originally from Wales, met and
married in London in 1898, setting up home above the shop on the
Kings Road in Chelsea where Tom worked as a Master Dairyman. This
was Mali's first home, but the family moved frequently throughout
South West London, before finally settling in Southfields.
Mali attended secretarial school, and around 1930 started work
as a secretary for A Romary & Co Ltd in Tunbridge Wells. She
continued to work with the company for nearly 25 years, living
above the premises, a picturesque 16th Century building with a shop
at street level.
In 1957, when Mali was Company Secretary and a Director, the
company moved to Scotland. Wanting to stay in the South of England,
Mali left her post and moved back to the family home in Southfields
before moving to Hertfordshire to take up a new position with
Schreiber Furniture Ltd. She continued for the business until she
retired in 1967.
Once again, she returned to the family home and lived with two
of her sisters, Sarah and Eryl. Sarah, who had been diagnosed with
Parkinson's some years earlier, was cared for at the family home.
Mali had presumed that there would patient associations to help
people affected by Parkinson's, but searches of local libraries had
shown that no such society existed. She was further frustrated to
find that there was an absence of literature in layman's terms
about her sister's condition.
Determined to find out what she could about Parkinson's, Mali
began an investigation. It was from this research that the idea of
starting a society grew. By late 1967, Mali had set up an
exploratory steering group of neurologists, solicitors, relatives,
friends and supporters. Working in a bedroom converted into an
office in the family home, Mali progressed plans that eventually
led to the Parkinson's Disease Society being granted charitable
status on 26 February 1969.
Two areas of prime concern were publicity and fundraising, and
Mali set out on an almost daily quest for advice, assistance with
introductions and financial backing. Her hard work paid off in the
spring of 1969, when Mali was interviewed on Woman's Hour. The
interview was followed up by an appeal on BBC radio by Stratford
Johns.
Mali knew the effect Parkinson's had on people and human
relationships, and was determined to provide support at a local
level. In 1970, she oversaw the setting up of the first local
branch in Tunbridge Wells.
In 1978, Mali's work was recognised in the New Year's Honours
list, and she received an OBE at Buckingham Palace. In the same
year, she retired as Chair of the Society, but she continued to
give her time, travelling the country to attend meetings and
campaigning to ensure that the funds raised would be evenly spent
between welfare and research. This is reflected in the aims of the
Parkinson's Disease Society, which are to:
- help people with Parkinson's and their carers and families with
the problems arising from Parkinson's
- collect and disseminate information on Parkinson's
- encourage and provide funds for research into Parkinson's
Mali died on 11 March 1989 at the age of 81, whilst attending a
welfare meeting for branches in Dover. Mali's drive, vision
and determination led to the creation of a Society that
has been able to grow, develop and respond to the needs of all
those affected by Parkinson's over many years.
Find out about the Mali Jenkins
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