Fife nurse Anne Marie Rafferty has risen from humble beginnings to become a life peer in the House of Lords.
The 66-year-old was brought up in Links Street, one of Kirkcaldy’s more deprived areas, and spent more time in the local pool hall than doing homework.
However, sheer hard work and determination led to a series of achievements, culminating in a damehood and entrance to the UK’s upper chamber as a baroness.
And earlier this month she gave her maiden speech during an International Women’s Day debate.
In it, she argued that nursing should be considered a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subject to address a workforce shortage.
And she referenced fellow Fife “heroes” Jennie Lee, who helped found the Open University, and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Baroness Rafferty told The Courier her journey from the Links to the Lords has been a long one.
However, it feels as if it passed in the blink of an eye.
Kirkcaldy miner’s daughter and ‘disruptive’ school pupil
She said: “We lived in Alison Street and Marion Street before moving to Links Street.
“The area was pretty down in the dumps.
“My dad, Michael, worked at Rothes and then Seafield pits in an era when miners were very poorly paid.
“I remember him cycling to the pit in all weathers, coming home for a rest and a bite to eat before going out again to his second job in the Football Arms.”
Baroness Rafferty’s mum, Bridget, gave up her nursing career when she married.
“Life was quite difficult but the Links was a great place to grow up,” she says.
“I was a tomboy and there were lots of pals and playparks, lots of condemned houses to play in and we had the beach and the Mill Dam.”
Young Anne Marie attended St Marie’s Primary, then St Andrews High School in Kirkcaldy, and was not the best student.
“I preferred the clientele of the pool hall to homework,” she recalls.
“I spent quite a disproportionate amount of time sitting outside the headmaster’s office for being disruptive.
“However, I managed to scrape enough in my exams to get into university.”
‘Slacker’ who became one of the UK’s most influential nurses
Baroness Rafferty’s nursing career began at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, followed by a spell at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
She then moved into the world of academia.
“After being a real slacker, I found my footing,” she says.
She achieved a masters degree in surgery before becoming the first nurse to graduate from Oxford with a doctorate.
And she later became the first nurse in the School of Tropical Medicine in London.
She is now a professor of nursing policy at King’s College, London, and has also served as president of the Royal College of Nursing.
In 2017, she was nominated as one of the 70 most influential nurses in the UK.
And three years later she received a damehood.
Kirkcaldy friend came to House of Lords
Baroness Rafferty describes her arrival in the House of Lords chamber as both exciting and terrifying.
“My first step into the chamber was a faux pas,” she recalls.
“My line of sight was blocked and I didn’t see the speaker was on his feet.
“I was chided at the first move and felt a bit chastened.”
However, she was boosted when her maiden speech was well received.
Despite her elevation, she has never forgotten her roots and retains a close circle of Kirkcaldy friends.
“We’re called the Kirkcaldy girls and one of them came to my entrance to the Lords,” she says.
“The thing I value more than anything is friendship.”
Watch Anne Marie Rafferty’s maiden speech from 14.23 hours here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/
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