My friend Janet Cocks, who has died aged 89, was a nurse turned probation officer who lived all her life in Bristol.
She was born in the city to Bunny (nee Clark), who was a munitions worker during the first world war, and Archie Macfarlane, an aircraft draftsman. On leaving Fairfield secondary school she trained as a nurse at Bristol eye hospital, from where she went to work at Bristol general hospital and then the city’s Southmead hospital, working latterly at its renal unit as part of the home dialysis team.
In 1954 she married Mike Cocks (Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe), who was then a teacher, and whose ambition was to win a seat at Westminster. He was elected as Labour MP for Bristol South in 1970, and later became the party’s chief whip.
In 1981, Janet moved away from nursing after qualifying as a probation officer, working for the Avon Probation and Aftercare Service (later Avon Probation Service) in various locations across Bristol, including Horfield prison (now Bristol prison), until her retirement in 1987. She often worked with disturbed young people, steering them gradually but firmly into new and productive lives. Her empathetic and tenacious nature suited the work, and she was also generous to her work colleagues, always finding the time to support others.
Like her mother before her, Janet was a prize-winning swimmer, and in the 1980s she trained as a swimming coach, going on to teach at various Bristol pools. Never one to be idle, she also worked as a volunteer for charities, including the armed forces charity SSAFA and the Edridge Fund. She was an active member of the Labour party until 2003, when the actions of the Labour government in relation to the Iraq war led her to resign her membership. In her 70s she began to work as a part-time guide on Bristol tour buses, sharing her love and knowledge of her home city until she was 86.
Above all, however, Janet was devoted to her family, and she loved entertaining them along with her huge circle of friends.
She and Mike separated in 1976 and later divorced; she is survived by their four children, Andrew, Helen, Sarah and David, 10 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
