Jos Kingston, 1948-2007

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Jos Kingston was born in Banbury in 1948 and died of lung cancer in Hathersage, Derbyshire in 2007. Her family, led by her high church vicar father, moved regularly to London suburbia, Ireland, New Zealand, Arundel and other parishes

After history at Reading University and the start of a PhD in 19th century co-operatives and co-operators at Sussex she started a journey to Rochdale to connect with the roots of the current Co-op movement. She got waylaid in the Socialist Republic of Sheffield and lived in the Radtech Co-op in Heeley.

Jos was one of the original staff of the National Union of Students Student Community Action team. As the movement spread she was employed as Student Community Action Worker at Sheffield Polytechnic. She set up the Inflatables Play project, exploiting the new STEP and JCP programmes to provide temporary paid work for unemployed people, complementing the volunteer students. Strangely shaped plastic inflatables graced every event and children's playschemes in Sheffield for several years.

Settling in Heeley she became involved with many community issues. She campaigned creatively to stop the Heeley By Pass. She helped set up and supported Heeley City Farm.

She maintained her interest in history and her dissertation `Life and Death in Elizabethan Norton' gained her Diploma in Local History at Sheffield University. She led another JCP project and the Heeley History project was conceived. The resulting Heeley History Exhibition is still displayed regularly in Heeley.

She finished the final draft of `Henry Tatton's Heeley Notebooks', the day that she went into labour to give birth to Ian in 1978. Her daughter Sarah was born at home in 1983.

The newly emerging Women's Aid project brought Jos together with other creative and activist women. They identified the difficulties of getting good, quick, cheap printed material for community and campaigning groups and the Sheffield's Women's Printing Co-op was conceived. The public face of hundreds of community, environmental, campaigning, feminist and other radical groups were changed by having quality (and affordable) literature, leaflets and publicity.

As computers and desk top publishing made DIY printing easier Jos joined the opposition. She returned to university and completed her MSc in computing. She returned to Sheffield Polytechnic (now Sheffield Hallam University) to support students in accessing the IT they needed for their studies. Computing, rather than printing, for the masses, became the priority.

In 2000 she moved to Hathersage in the Peak District. Footpaths for the disabled and stopping 4-wheel drive vehicles became the issue. She became a footpath warden and a member of the Stannage Forum.

In December 2004 she was diagnosed with lung cancer and given 6 months. Difficult to the end the growth grew outside rather than inside her lungs and for two years she was walking 3-5 miles everyday, though Coppice Woods and to Carr Head Rocks and High Low.

She opened a website, jos@joskingston.org, with a monthly report, commentary, reflections and thoughts on the development of her cancer and life with terminal illnessm . Through this website she has raised over �5,000 for Medical Aid for Palestine.

Her last coup was to persuade the new owner of the local Brookfield Manor, to re-open his drive as a footpath for Hathersage villagers.

Jos was a printer, historian, mother, IT expert, radical community activist, feminist, peace worker, walker, cyclist, campaigner, member of the awkward squad and human being. Her environmental footprint was small, but her local impact on the community and environment was huge.

john le corney, february 2007

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Past articles

Saturday, March 20
Peace campaign anecdotes from Helensburgh Court
Sunday, March 14
Challenging Penalty Notices to stop racism & criminalisation
Sunday, February 21
Heckler & Koch shut down 18th Feb 2010
Thursday, January 14
Raytheon news...a message of hope
Sunday, December 06
Home Education under threat: please sign the petition
Saturday, May 02
A great piece of anti-militarist direct action
Monday, April 13
A brief word about the Luton affair (from Peace News)
Thursday, March 12
probably the most costly photograph in history
Sunday, February 22
To date there have been 23 occupations in the UK related to the situation in Gaza.
Thursday, February 19
Soho: Justice prevails against prejudice and witch-hunts!

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