Local Face: Anne Holt

Anne was born in Prestwood and at two years old moved to Aylesbury with her Welsh parents when her father became a partner in Parrott and Coales.

Anne started off at Lady Margaret School in Dobbins Lane, became a founder pupil at Prebendal School and finished off at St. Swithun’s School in Winchester, training to be a nursery school teacher at the Froebel Institute, Roehampton. She worked at Fairmile Nursery School in Aylesbury until she married John Holt in 1949.

They were blessed with two sons, and Anne now has a grand daughter who after Durham University is training to be a lawyer – following in the footsteps of her grandfather and great grandfather, and a grand son at present studying Czech and Russian at Oxford University.

The family lived in Aylesbury until John’s retirement from Parrott and Coales when they moved to Butler’s Cross and joined St Anne’s Church, Wendover. John was elected Chairman of the Pastoral Council and Anne became involved with the church music and liturgy.

After John died in 2002, Anne moved to Wendover, and so qualified as a truly “Wendover Face”.

Over the years Anne has held various positions, such as Governor of Aylesbury Primary Schools and High School. She served for twenty years as a Magistrate on the Aylesbury Bench as well as holding the post of Secretary of the following:

1. Friends of St Mary’s Aylesbury, on whose behalf with her friend the late Margaret Roberton (of the Windmill, Wendover) inaugurated the weekly “Music at Lunchtime” Thursday concerts now in their thirty first year.

2. Catholic Women’s League, locally and at Diocesan level.

3. Society of St Gregory for Music and Liturgy.

4. Women’s World Day of Prayer.

Anne has been a member of various committees including Wendover Music. For several years she was Parliamentary Reporter for the National Council of Women which involved reading the daily Hansard from Parliament which she found fascinating.