I first met Helen in April 2025 It was clear straight away how popular and well-respected she was by the volume of people who would stop by her desk delighted to see her as if she was some blend of visiting dignitary and long-lost friend. A DWP institution.

Despite me being her manager’s manager it was never clear to me who was managing who. My check-ins with her were turned into finding out how I was doing. And in team meetings Helen would listen intently only to share one sentence of insight that would make everyone pause for thought. And so it continued!  

Helen was always the one looking out for others, sensing if people needed extra support and giving advice regardless of grade or team. She really was the unseen glue – calm, diligent, caring. I loved how she always had a useful uplifting or thoughtful phrase to share at the end of meetings. It didn’t matter if it came from Brownies – it still worked!

She truly was one of life’s givers. We regrettably shared common ground when it came to responsibility for caring for parents and spoke about this and her grief when her dad passed. A rare moment for me to be able to provide support to the ever-stoical Helen.

She wasn’t above a little mischief though – the twinkle in her eye did not go un-noticed. And I enjoyed trying to crack that professional demeanour to bring on a chortle.

She spoke with so much love of Tim, her parents and Brownies and had been recently sharing her plans for her partial retirement. She was so looking forward to freeing up more time to spend having adventures and making shared memories. It is so very sad that this will no longer come to pass and that we also will no longer have the benefit of her company.

Its Helen’s time to go “onwards and upwards”. I shall miss her.