Hello, Heroes: Carol

I was born and bred in Bradford. My family are from Dominica and Jamaica, and lived all their lives in Bradford.

My parents were very proud of Bradford, and my dad always spoke about his positive experiences landing here from the Caribbean in the 1950s. There were some hard times settling, finding work and finding homes. However, not everyone in the city was hostile, and my dad recalled having a good feeling about Bradford.

I’ve always had an interest in health and well-being, which stems from my upbringing in a Caribbean household eating home-cooked food, getting plenty of exercise and generally looking after yourself. Both my parents continued to work into their seventies and lived into their nineties.

My passion for community health and well-being really developed when I worked for the local authority as a Housing Assistant across Bradford. I then went on to work for the NHS as a Community Health Development Worker for African-Caribbean communities. I stayed in that role for 20 years, working with and meeting so many wonderful people. I studied, too, gaining my Certificate in Public Health from the University of Huddersfield and my Master’s in Public Health/Health Education from the University of Leeds.

In 2000, my colleagues and I set up the Black Health Forum, which I chaired until I left the NHS in 2012 to work for Age UK Bradford & District. I became Chair of the Forum again in 2018, and the work with the community continues to address the health and well-being inequalities in the district.

My first reaction was to say, ‘No, I don’t want this,’ as I really don’t see myself as an unsung hero. But I gave it some thought, and felt that not taking part after being nominated and chosen would be throwing away the opportunity to represent my community. I set myself a challenge to step outside of my comfort zone and ‘Just do it’.

Everyone who knows me knows I hate having my photo taken. I’m really camera-shy and very critical of my appearance in photos, always focusing on the negative. I thought doing the photo shoot would challenge me to be more confident and more open to being in the spotlight, instead of hiding away – which is my more comfortable place.

The experience at the photo shoot was amazing – getting my make-up done by a professional make-up artist who knew how to cater for my dark skin and make me look good. I’m happy that someone from my ethnicity, who are often not seen, is represented in the district. Hopefully it may encourage more people from the African-Caribbean community to be much more visible.

Learn more about Carol’s work with the Black Health Forum on their Facebook page. Aïda Muluneh’s exhibition Nationhood: Memory and Hope opens in January 2025 at Impressions Gallery, Bradford.