I am Yvonne. I came to the UK from Clarendon Jamaica, in the 60s, aged 12. I worked for 35 years in the NHS as a nurse, midwife and health visitor, gaining BSc and MSc qualifications. I retired in 2014 to become a family career. I’m reliable, trustworthy, empathetic, kind-hearted, generous and down-to-earth. I like to keep busy – enjoy group activities, going to church, singing in the choir and providing pastoral care.

In early childhood, I enjoyed watching my grandmother dance quadrille, to the fiddle, fife, and drum, played by village musicians. Her dance moves, flair, enthusiasm, and gaiety inspired my thinking of dancing quadrille when I become older. I often think of my grandmother whenever I dance.
In 2006, I learnt to dance quadrille, but became more interested when Beverley Bogle started coordinating JÁNUKA in 2007. I began learning more about the history of quadrille in the Caribbean and that our ancestors danced it to keep their spirits high. I dance it in memory of them with pride and admiration.

Quadrille dancing is a good form of body and mind exercise. The spiritual aspect brings me closer to our creator. It binds us together as a family of dancers. It helps me to keep our cultural history alive and enables me to pass it on as a legacy to the next generation, like it has been passed on to us.