Charlotte Swan

Charlotte grew up in central London for the first 6 years of her life, “I was born in Islington, fourth daughter of my parents, my father was a local vicar in Canonbury Square.” From there they moved to Northamptonshire. “There was five of us by the time we moved to this huge rambling vicarage in the countryside. There was no heating so when my youngest sister was born there she had to be kept in the airing cupboard because that was the only warm place in the house!”

“It was like a dream in a way because we’d moved from this tiny little garden in the middle of London to a two and a half acre garden with a stables and a paddock. Incredible being able to run around, have that kind of freedom after the constraints of the tiny garden.” From there they moved to a permanent modern vicarage in the neighbouring village, where Charlotte lived until she left for University aged 18.”

“I went to Birmingham University to study Psychology and then back home for one year. After that I worked in a University chaplaincy as an assistant in University College London and then worked in a psychiatric hospital thinking I wanted to be a psychologist.

It was a nice time living in London, I’d met my husband in my early 20’s and then he went off to India for 2 years. I was engaged to someone else actually whilst he was in India but I decided it wasn’t going to work out. We got together when he returned, very quickly decided to get married and moved back to Birmingham.”

Her husband Philip got a job as a teacher in Birmingham, after this they both studied at the same theological college in Nottingham, moving back to a church in the centre of Birmingham afterwards. They had two children and moved to the Lickey Hills on the outskirts of the city. Charlotte trained as a social worker, then a counsellor, later specialising in spiritual direction.

They moved to Wolverhampton where Charlotte worked as a Chaplain in a general practice, working alongside doctors, Philip worked for the regional church diocese. Whilst living in Wolverhampton an opportunity appeared, We got to know somebody who wanted to pass on their house in the Staffordshire moorlands to us. [We were going] to run it as a retreat centre and because of my background in Spiritual direction and Philips’ interest we thought it would be really fun, nice joint work to do.

We sold our house in Wolverhampton, I gave up my job and we were just about to move and she changed her mind. So we were kind of ‘Oh, ok, what shall we do now?!” They both still felt they wanted to move so asked the diocese Philip worked for if they had any accommodation available. Luckily the diocese had a spare vicarage in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent.

“There is quite a sense of community. We’ve had a few times where we’ve had BBQs and gatherings with all the neighbours which has been fun. It’s such a variety of people it’s really interesting, so many nationalities just within our small street.”

“So four years in Wolverhampton and four years in Stoke, we’re sort of moving north but we’re actually coming nearer to our roots. Philip grew up on the edge of the Peak District and my parents both come from Derbyshire and the Peak district, so we both feel a bit nearer to where we originate from.”

Charlotte now works for local refugee service Asha as a Befriending and Volunteer Coordinator. “I find somebody local to link people to (asylum seekers or refugees) who can give them some time and support, and I find places people can volunteer at, hospitals, schools, library or charities.”

Reflecting on her future in Stoke Charlotte says, “We’ll be here ‘till retirement which is only three more years. Three more years, so it is temporary in that sense, we won’t retire in Stoke. Maybe move further into the moorlands or Peak District area but I still want to work with asylum seekers.

I’d like to see Stoke-on-Trent embracing the coming of other cultures, to break down the us & them!”