Mary Joy Langdon
NationalityBritish
Other namesSister Mary Joy Langdon
Occupation(s)Firefighter, religious Sister
Known forUK's first retained female firefighter
HonoursBritish Empire Medal (BEM)

Sister Mary-Joy Langdon BEM (born 1951) is a British nun who was the first woman to be an operational firefighter in Britain on 21 August 1976.[1] She started a pony riding centre to supply therapy and she was an Olympic flag carrier in 2012.

Life and career

Langdon was born in 1951 in Battle, East Sussex. She attended Charters Towers School, Bexhill, East Sussex.[2]

In the summer of 1976 there was a major drought in Britain and the fire brigades needed extra people.[1] Langdon volunteered and joined the Battle fire station, close to her family farm as part of the East Sussex Fire Brigade, part-time but being on call for 24 hours. She had passed all the normal tests including carrying an 11 stone (150 lb; 70 kg) man for 100 yards.[3][4] At the age of 25, she was the UK's first ever female firefighter to be formally admitted to a brigade.[4][1][5] She joined on 21 August 1976,[6][7] leaving in 1983.[7] In 1978, women firefighters were accepted everywhere in the UK.[2]

In 1984, Sister Mary-Joy joined the Roman Catholic congregation Sisters of the Infant Jesus.[7][8]

Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre

Sister Mary-Joy founded the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, a charity, in 1989.[7][9] The Centre is an inner city community riding school for children and young people, many of whom have learning difficulties and physical disabilities. The children, parents and local people are encouraged to actively get involved by offering help with fund raising or joining the volunteering programmes.[10] In 1994, the television programme Challenge Anneka built a training ground for the charity.[2] The actor Martin Clunes and the painter Lucian Freud have been supporters. When Freud first visited, Langdon helpfully gave him a book on how to paint horses.[2]

In 2012, she was chosen to be one of the people carrying the Olympic torch on its journey to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[8]

In September 2023, Sister Mary Joy Langdon announced that she will step back from her role as Chief Executive of the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre in 2024 after 35 years in the position.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Clinton, Jane (20 August 2006). "I was Britain's first female firefighter ...but I gave it all up to become a nun". Sunday Express. London.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jodyeast |. "Pioneering Sister Mary Joy Langdon, first female retained fire fighter". Discover. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Picture Gallery". The Times. London. 24 August 1976. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 Whittaker, E. H. (5 October 1976). "'Fire girl' Mary just burning for action". Daily Express.
  5. ↑ "First woman fire-fighter". Daily Telegraph. London. 24 August 1976. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. ↑ McCann, Jaymi. "Britain needs a new generation of women firefighters to extinguish sexism once and for all". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Imms, Adrian (19 August 2016). "Sussex's first fire woman on her days in the brigade". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  8. 1 2 "NUNDAY Sister Mary-Joy Langdon, Olympics Nun | A Nun's Life Ministry". anunslife.org. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Brigade, London Fire. "London Fire Brigade - News Release Archive Container 2016". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre - INFORMATION". The Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  11. ↑ tespensley (1 September 2023). "Sister Mary Joy Langdon to step down as CEO after 35 years". Home. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
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