THE 65-YEAR-OLD throws open the door of her Dartmoor home and ushers me in, away from the blustery wind which can only be conjured
up by the moor. “Your picture editor has just phoned me to arrange the photographer to come here,” she says as she makes a pot of tea, “He tells me there are lots of pictures of me, but I am being presented with cheques in all of them.” It’s true — and reflects how the charity’s mission galvanises people into raising endless sums of money. Caroline has spent much of her life in the voluntary sector and brings a wealth of experience to her current role. But there is also a human side to her story. She is a survivor, having been treated for breast cancer herself 12 years ago. At the time she was living in America with her husband Martin, 67. “I went for a routine mammogram. While I was waiting I could hear a nurse saying to other women ‘see you next year’ but when she came to me, she did not say it.
“She told me my doctor would call me the next day.