The life of Glenys Thomas, a dedicated social work educator and lifelong activist from Birmingham who championed social justice from the refugee camps of post-war Europe to the women's peace camps at Greenham Common, has been celebrated following her death at the age of 87.
A Life Dedicated to Service and Social Justice
For over five decades, Glenys Thomas was a fixture in Birmingham's community and academic life. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she taught and trained future social workers at Selly Oak College, where she specialised in pioneering courses on racism awareness and women's studies. Her commitment to therapeutic spaces was further demonstrated through her role as a trustee for Martineau Gardens, a charitable therapeutic community in Edgbaston.
Born on a farm in Hampden within the Cotswolds, Glenys was the daughter of Alice (née Smith) and Gordon. Her parents were determined that their three daughters would have equal opportunities. At Westwood's Grammar School in Northleach, she was the sole girl studying science, initially aiming for medicine. However, she found her true calling in understanding people rather than anatomy, leading her to pursue psychology at Reading University.
Early Activism and International Work
Her wit and conviction were evident early on; she once subverted a university beauty pageant by entering dressed as an elderly woman pushing a pram, an act which reportedly ended such contests on campus.
After graduating in 1959, she immediately immersed herself in humanitarian work. During World Refugee Year, she joined the United Nations Association, working in displaced persons' camps in Austria for the UNHCR. She served as "Head Sister" in a Quaker-run camp, organising volunteers and helping refugees rebuild community life. In a remarkable act of solidarity, she later drove a donated truck through France, Spain, and Morocco to deliver knitted blankets from those same Austrian refugees to families in newly independent Algeria.
She remained in Algeria for four years, helping to construct schools and working in medical clinics. Upon returning to Britain, she completed a postgraduate diploma in youth work at Manchester University. It was there she met Les Essex, sharing his passion for social justice and detached youth work. They married in 1968 and moved to East Africa to teach until 1972, before starting a family in Birmingham.
A Legacy of Compassion and Fierce Independence
In her later years, Glenys continued to inspire through teaching, mentoring, and direct action. Her activism included participation in the Greenham Common women's peace camp and advocacy for young people suffering from ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). She also became a dedicated carer for her husband Les after Parkinson's disease forced his early retirement from the University of Birmingham, where he lectured in social policy.
Described as possessing compassion, humour, and a fierce independence, Glenys Thomas left a lasting impression on all who knew her. Her husband Les died in 2011. She is survived by her two children.
