{"title":"Brenda Ashford","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"tuppence-for-paper-and-string-book-brenda-ashford-9781444739916","title":"Tuppence for Paper and String","description":"'Each and every single one of the 100 plus children I have cared for over the past 62 years are very much in my heart.'   It is 1945, the war is finally over and victory marches fill the streets of London. Brenda and her friends, happy that at long last the war is over, hope that they'll soon leave the days of rationing and worry behind. Before long Brenda's skills as a real life Mary Poppins are in demand again. Moving from house to house, Brenda never stays long, but just enough time to sprinkle a little magic and happiness.  Word quickly spreads of this wonder nanny, who gets up to feed fretful babies in the middle of the night, who delivers quiet wisdom, and calmly restores order and happiness. Facing tragedy in her own life, Brenda never gives up on her quest to help the most troubled homes, changing hundreds of children's lives forever.   TUPPENCE FOR PAPER AND STRING is a warm, uplifting and incredibly moving tale of a 1950s nanny, and her determination to give the children in her care the best possible start in life.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49506153627921,"sku":"GOR004875850","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51534333444369,"sku":"GOR005040839","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53655285104913,"sku":"GOR006052135","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1444739913.jpg?v=1750826577"},{"product_id":"spoonful-of-sugar-book-brenda-ashford-9781444739862","title":"A Spoonful of Sugar","description":"'They say you can never truly love a child that is not your own, but that goes against every instinct that runs through me. For I have loved children born to other women all my life and every child that I have ever cared for, I've adored with all my heart. Many I would have laid down my life for, in fact on some memorable occasions when I fled to air raid shelters clutching my charges to my chest, I very nearly did. In 62 years of being a nanny I have lost count of the number of children I've cared for, but it must be approaching 100. Which means I am inordinately proud to say that despite never having actually given birth I have 100 children. How many women can say that?' Brenda is 91 years old and spent 62 years working as a Norland Nanny. Just like a real-life Mary Poppins, Brenda devoted her life to giving children the best possible start in life. Brenda began training at the Norland Institute in 1939 at the age of 18, shortly before war was declared. It was a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, particularly for children. Even as a nervous young trainee, Brenda was determined to give the children in her care a wonderful childhood, regardless of the horrors that were unravelling on the continent, and when the blitz began, on their doorsteps. Brenda worked poverty-stricken evacuees from the East End London, as well as in the nurseries of smart Kensington homes. She frequently put her life at risk, dashing to air raid shelters with her charges clutched to her chest. This is a story from a time when nothing was taken for granted and life itself was in peril on a near-daily basis. But the war was also a time when people pulled together like never before or since, and it called upon Brenda to make sacrifices she'd never imagined having to make... Warm, funny and incredibly moving, Brenda's memoir brings to life the colourful world of wartime England.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49513032319249,"sku":"GOR004373490","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50555301691665,"sku":"GOR005700793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50670438023441,"sku":"GOR004434073","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50968698192145,"sku":"GOR014151796","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1444739867.jpg?v=1750826576"},{"product_id":"spoonful-of-sugar-book-brenda-ashford-9781444739824","title":"A Spoonful of Sugar","description":"'They say you can never truly love a child that is not your own, but that goes against every instinct that runs through me. For I have loved children born to other women all my life and every child that I have ever cared for, I've adored with all my heart. Many I would have laid down my life for, in fact on some memorable occasions when I fled to air raid shelters clutching my charges to my chest, I very nearly did. In 62 years of being a nanny I have lost count of the number of children I've cared for, but it must be approaching 100. Which means I am inordinately proud to say that despite never having actually given birth I have 100 children. How many women can say that?' Brenda is 91 years old and spent 62 years working as a Norland Nanny. Just like a real-life Mary Poppins, Brenda devoted her life to giving children the best possible start in life. Brenda began training at the Norland Institute in 1939 at the age of 18, shortly before war was declared. It was a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, particularly for children. Even as a nervous young trainee, Brenda was determined to give the children in her care a wonderful childhood, regardless of the horrors that were unravelling on the continent, and when the blitz began, on their doorsteps. Brenda worked poverty-stricken evacuees from the East End London, as well as in the nurseries of smart Kensington homes. She frequently put her life at risk, dashing to air raid shelters with her charges clutched to her chest. This is a story from a time when nothing was taken for granted and life itself was in peril on a near-daily basis. But the war was also a time when people pulled together like never before or since, and it called upon Brenda to make sacrifices she'd never imagined having to make... Warm, funny and incredibly moving, Brenda's memoir brings to life the colourful world of wartime England.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49543226425617,"sku":"GOR004117958","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49712321233169,"sku":"GOR004595762","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50212474454289,"sku":"GOR011160504","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1444739824.jpg?v=1750858622"},{"product_id":"spoonful-of-sugar-book-brenda-ashford-9780385536417","title":"A Spoonful of Sugar","description":"Brenda Ashford was a real-life Mary Poppins. Caring for over one hundred children during her lifetime as a nanny, her charges ranged from the pampered sons and daughters of grand estates or the tough offspring of WI evacuees in London's East End. Now, in \u003ci\u003eA Spoonful of Sugar\u003c\/i\u003e, Britain's longest-serving nanny shares her endearing, amusing, and sometimes downright bizarre experiences turning generations of children into successful adults. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNanny Brenda says: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll mothers are quite brilliant in my eyes and nine times out of ten don't realize the sacrifices they undertake or the powerful contributions they make. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLittle folk deserve a childhood that's full of fun. It's the single most valuable lesson in my eyes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEveryone knows you simply can't retire from love. Children leave you; you don't leave children. That's the natural order of things. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI have puzzled many times over the ingredients for a perfect recipe for a happy home. It needs to be a place with parents who worship their offspring. Throw in some stability, a dash of routine, and respect. \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50239607079185,"sku":"CIN0385536410G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50245469798673,"sku":"CIN0385536410VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51893140291857,"sku":"GOR006213744","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53176961270033,"sku":"GOR009705717","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0385536410.jpg?v=1750697031"},{"product_id":"spoonful-of-sugar-book-brenda-ashford-9780307951298","title":"A Spoonful of Sugar","description":"Brenda Ashford was a real-life Mary Poppins. Caring for over one hundred children during her lifetime as a nanny, her charges ranged from the pampered sons and daughters of grand estates or the tough offspring of WI evacuees in London's East End. Now, in \u003ci\u003eA Spoonful of Sugar\u003c\/i\u003e, Britain's longest-serving nanny shares her endearing, amusing, and sometimes downright bizarre experiences turning generations of children into successful adults. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNanny Brenda says: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll mothers are quite brilliant in my eyes and nine times out of ten don't realize the sacrifices they undertake or the powerful contributions they make. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLittle folk deserve a childhood that's full of fun. It's the single most valuable lesson in my eyes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEveryone knows you simply can't retire from love. Children leave you; you don't leave children. 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