My pal Penny Henry, who has died aged 76 of kidney failure, was embedded within the lifetime of Manchester and its vibrant music scene of the Seventies and 80s. She labored on the Hacienda membership from its opening in 1982, and for nearly 50 years lived on the bottom ground at 86 Palatine Street, the place Manufacturing unit data was based in 1978 and run from the upstairs flat. Penny later skilled and labored for greater than 25 years as a reflexologist.
One of many unsung girls behind the scenes within the early days of the Hacienda, Penny was one of many extra skilled staff introduced in for the opening of the membership by Howard “Ginger” Jones. In addition to working entrance of home, she could possibly be discovered up on the leaking roof changing slates, or coping with overflowing bathrooms when the canal behind the membership flooded. After two years of serving to to maintain the constructing functioning in opposition to the chances, when Penny had a gun held to her head in a theft one Monday morning, it was time to maneuver on.
Born in London, to Irene (nee Clark) and Herbert Henry, each civil servants, Penny spent her early years in Islington. After the household moved to Sussex, she attended Ilfield grammar faculty in Crawley then took an artwork basis course in Worthing. Arriving in Manchester in 1969 to go to the Faculty of Artwork, Penny didn’t depart town till 2021, when she moved to Ledbury, Herefordshire, to take care of her mom.
I met Penny within the mid-70s, when each our boyfriends have been in the identical band, Alberto Y Misplaced Trios Paranoias. Tall, lovely, attention-grabbing, Penny introduced fashion and aptitude to every little thing she did.
Penny left artwork faculty earlier than commencement when she turned pregnant together with her son, Ben. Ben’s father, David Ward, was a part of his life, however Penny raised her son as a single father or mother. It was powerful for her, however she was proud to see Ben turn out to be a barrister and a deputy director of Human Rights Watch.
In 1984 she took over from her pal Elliot Rashman (who left to handle Merely Crimson) as entertainments supervisor at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan College).
Wherever she labored, together with with the pioneering co-operative On the Eighth Day from 1972, for the music promoters Alan Smart and Roger Eagle at Rafters and the Russell Membership (1977-82), and on the garments store Zouk (1987-93), Penny made associates and supported her colleagues, significantly girls. Her nurturing aspect led to an curiosity in complementary therapies and within the mid-90s Penny skilled and certified as a reflexologist.
Penny cherished her allotment and knitted all through her life, making a gift of her creations to associates.
She is survived by Ben and two grandchildren, Jackie and Hyperlink, and by a brother, John.
