Hospital campaigner dies

Mrs Josie Allott (82), of Antley Court, was synonymous with helping kick-start the campaign to save Burnley’s A&E department five years ago collecting thousands of signatures for her own petition.

A hugely respected figure within the town, her death on Thursday, October 14th, following a short illness, will have shocked many.

She was forever helping people, said Bill, her husband of 57 years, and never expected anything in return.

“She loved helping people,” he said. “We got involved in the hospital campaign because I was an ambulance man for 25 years and she was a kitchen assistant at Burnley General for over a decade until she retired when she was 60. I was also the branch secretary for the National Union of Public Employees and whenever I came back from a meeting she’d always be saying ‘get me on that union, I’ll sort them out’.

“She wasn’t doing it for herself though, she was doing it because she felt the Burnley people deserved a good hospital.”

Born and bred in Burnley, Mrs Allot was the eldest of 14 children. After leaving school she went to work in the spinning room at Whittam’s in Finsley Gate, and had a number of part-time jobs while raising nine of her own children.

Her daughter, Mrs Bernadette Blackburn, described her as an “incredible woman” who the family referred to as Mrs Sort It.

“When anybody wanted anything sorting they would go to mum,” she said. “Her family and friends were her life and she helped so many people during it. A lot of people talk about doing something but she was one of these that always would.

“We’ve had so many cards from people and it’s amazing how many messages there are in them saying how mum helped them in certain ways. It’s made me even more honoured that she was my mum. She really was incredible.”

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle worked closely with Mrs Allott during the hospital campaign and said she was a “credit to the town”.

“I was very sad to hear the news”, he said. “She was a very vocal and passionate woman who would not back down on anything.

“She was a credit to the town and will be sorely missed.”

Mrs Allot’s funeral took place yesterday at St John the Baptist RC Church, Ivy Street.