Damaris Le Grand obituary

"After Brackley high school, Dammy worked as a secretary in Oxford, Basel and London before moving in 1967 to Philadelphia in the US, where she worked as a secretary in the law school at the University of Pennsylvania. The state's brutal reaction to protests about the Vietnam war and civil and women's rights had a huge impact, strengthening her resolve to challenge wrongs and create change."

"After qualifying as a social worker at Croydon Technical College, Dammy worked in Brighton social services. This is where we met and where she forged other lasting friendships. She joined the Labour party, remaining a member all her life. As mother to daughters Polly and Zoe, Dammy was fierce in her resolve to expose them to social and political matters. They have many childhood recollections of accompanying her on political demonstrations."

"In 1988 came another move, to Bristol, where she did a master's in social policy and planning at the university, then was appointed as a strategic planning officer for Avon county council (1989-96). There she was an innovator, designing the influential Avon measure for assessing mental health needs. As a senior policy officer at Bristol city council (1996-2002) she established the South West UK office in Brussels, to be a voice for the region in Europe;"

Damaris Le Grand died aged 79 and worked as a social worker and policy innovator before volunteering for refugees. Known as Dammy, she was born in Norwich, the middle of three children of Betty Southgate and Nigel Robertson-Glasgow, a vicar in Chipping Warden. She worked as a secretary in Oxford, Basel and London, then moved in 1967 to Philadelphia to work at the University of Pennsylvania law school, where protest repression strengthened her resolve to challenge wrongs. She married Julian Le Grand in 1971, returned to Britain, qualified as a social worker at Croydon Technical College, worked in Brighton, joined the Labour party, later worked for Camden and Lambeth, completed a master's in Bristol, served as strategic planning officer for Avon (1989–96) and designed the Avon mental-health needs measure, and as senior policy officer (1996–2002) established the South West UK office in Brussels.

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