The A’level Geography field trip buddy, 1990
Sophie Stannard - One of my fondest memories of Char is trekking around the glacial landscape of Snowdonia in the drizzle and fog recounting the story of Gone with the Wind to her. She was totally gripped and I was so glad to have finally found someone who actually wanted to hear the story of my favourite film! I think she even wanted details of Scarlett O’Hara’s more memorable dresses. I don’t think we took much notice of the glacial erosion and the flood plains but it made the time pass more quickly.
MRB - I remember first watching the movie with Charl in my apartment in NYC a few years later. It instantly became one of her favourite movies.
Dancing to Pump up the Jam, 1990
Sophie Stannard - This memory also comes from the field trip, I remember so clearly seeing Char and Jane Shaw standing by their bunks with their gangly legs going mad dancing to “Pump up the Jam” – Char, of course, got the words wrong but that made it even funnier!
Wales, July 1990
Rebecca Milnes-James - This photo was taken down in Wales just
after our A' levels. We had four days of enjoying the beach, barbequing
marshmallows on the bonfire and dancing on the sofas in jubilation when
England won their World Cup quarter final match. As usual, the Welsh
weather was unpredictable and the sun shone the whole time so we had to
raid the local beach shop for the best sunglasses and hats, as donned
by Antonia and Charl.
Boston, Jan 1991
Jo - Char visited me in Boston in Jan 1991, where I was working for a year
Excel Summer Camp 1992
Sara J - I’d been a counsellor at summer camps for a few
years before Char joined me in 1992. For me it was the most
wonderful mix of old and new friends coming together and we had so much
fun for the weeks that we crossed over.
New Years Eve in Boca Raton, Florida, 1992
Karen Ackerman - we all met for dinner at Norm and Judy's place then went out after for a Classic 'boca' night out - I seem to remember it involved me throwing myself into the crowd!
Visit to Manchester University, Mar 93
Karen Ackerman - Char at a party in Manchester at Sophie's flat - I think Char was visiting for the weekend.
New York, Aug 1993
MRB - I
met Charlotte in New York on July 6th 1993. For me it was love at
first sight, I think Char needed a little more convincing.
I remember taking this picture lying on one of the massive bedrocks in Central Park one hot New York evening in August.
Ingrid Abrash - That's not how I remember it at all. I remember her coming to work at the Jewish Museum the next day after meeting you, buzzing and aflutter about the guy she had met. I think she just played it cool.
Nells, New York, Summer 1993
Chrysi P - I unfortunately have no photos from this night but it was one of the best night outs I’ve had. Char was spending the summer in NYC. I had just been studying in Toronto, so I came down to NYC that summer to hang out. And one night, Char and I went out. Big time. We went to a club called Nells. We walked in to the club and the vibe and the tunes were amazing. We didn’t stop dancing all night long. It was one of those great nights. We left the club at about 4am and started walking down the street to hail a cab. We were crossing the street and a convertible Rolls rocks up. This guy was driving and he stops to ask us where we were going and if we needed a lift. Being good Jewish and Greek girls, we declined his offer. While he drives off we saw his number-plate which read ‘MUSIC’ - we had missed our chance at being the next big girl band! Instead we walked 10 blocks back to the hostel where I was staying, laughing and chatting away. Top Night. Top girl to be with.
Leeds University, 1990-1993
Chrysi P - Char, looking as gorgeous and stylish as always
with Debbie, Sara C and Di. This photo was taken at a bar in Leeds. Our
fourth year in Leeds was really special because there were only a
handful of people around that year, so we all got to spend some quality
time together. The one missing from this photo is Julia. The
Char/Debs/Sara C/Jules house adopted me in our 4th year. They were my
second home – always welcoming me with open arms and a fridge full of
food.
Richard Bland - I liked Charlotte a great deal. I was amazed when I first met her in 1990 that someone of 18 years could have so much spirit, self-confidence & energy. She was fun to be with, and seemed to be the only one of the Fine & Dec group to laugh at my jokes!
I can remember Charlotte telling me that she took science subjects at A-level, which surprised me a little, and confessing that she attended a Howard Jones concert in the mid-80’s, which surprised me immensely! (I think Charlotte tried to make amends by going to a few avant-garde gigs in Leeds). I know Charlotte was a romantic, one of her favourite films being ‘When Harry Met Sally’. Charlotte told me once that she never looked at black & white movies, and although this would have extended to most films of a certain vintage, ‘Gone with the Wind’, being an early colour film, fortunately escaped through Charlotte’s critical net! Sometimes, it is little things that stay in the memory, such as Charlotte telling me she had a thing about pencil sharpeners! Perhaps it was Freudian?!
There are one or two other things I remember such as the time we found ourselves in the same early modern history tutorial class in the first year. The topic for discussion was the difference in attitudes between Elizabethans treatment of the poor compared with attitudes in the present age. I can recall Charlotte saying that she gave 20p to every down-and-out she ever encountered, whether she felt they deserved it or not. At that point I imagined Charlotte walking around campus with a huge pocketful of 20p coins as there seemed to be a lot of tramps milling around Leeds!
I can remember talking to Charlotte about Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991, her liking for Massive Attack’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ and The Pretenders ‘I Go to Sleep’, and never missing an episode of ‘Casualty.’ I really like those two songs, which is probably why that has stuck in my memory. I should remember the car that Charlotte drove as she was our official chauffeur for the duration, but I can just about tell the difference between a Mini and a Rolls Royce.
Charlotte took the Fine & Dec course pretty seriously, maybe less so in the final year. Then again that applies to all of us which is the probable reason I ended up in the Ministry of Defence!
The last time I saw Charlotte was at
the Graduation Ceremony, July 1994. Looking at the images of
Charlotte on this website, she seemed to have changed very little, and
was apparently unaffected by time or double motherhood. I
was very pleased to learn Charlotte found true love, got married and
gave birth to two beautiful sons, which I know will be of great comfort
to you and the rest of your family in the years to come.