Today we talk to Jan Marshall, who is chair of the Oxford León Association and Trust

 

MY AGE IN YEARS: 53.

WHAT I DO: I work in undergraduate admissions at the University and love my job.

I’m also chair of the Oxford León Association and Trust, which organises events in Oxford and raises funds for projects in and near León, Oxford’s twin town in Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. It’s a registered charity and we’re all volunteers.

WHERE I LIVE: East Oxford.

WHO I LOVE: Family and friends.

HAPPIEST YEAR: Probably my first job in Spain – the sunshine, people, atmosphere and way of life were so different from what I was used to and so exciting.

DARKEST MOMENT: When my son was very ill as a child.

PROUDEST BOAST: My part in organising a sponsored swim, to raise funds for a water storage unit in a rural community in the province of León. People have to walk several miles to collect water and then it is often contaminated and causes illness.

BIGGEST REGRET: Not having learned to play an instrument as a child. I started to learn the piano a few years ago. I’m too busy to go to lessons at present, but will go back to it sometime.

WORST WEAKNESS: Not being able to say no, even when I’m very busy.

LESSON LEARNED: Don’t hoard. Have a clear-out, it makes you feel better.

DULLEST JOB: Cleaning the oven.

GREATEST SHAME: I can’t sing but do love singing and dearly wish I had a good voice.

I enjoy taking part in concerts that welcome non-singers and don’t have auditions. Every year in Oxford, in early March, there is a performance of La Misa Campesina, the Nicaraguan Peasant Mass. It is very lively, in the style of traditional Nicaraguan folk music, and very different from the church music we are used to here in the UK.

LIFE-LONG HERO: No single hero. I admire anyone who can rise above adversity and enjoy life after something awful, like refugees who have the courage to build a new life after surviving persecution, people who have suffered a catastrophic injury or illness and are able to come to terms with their different abilities and people who rebuild communities after a natural disaster.

Also, ordinary people who are cheerful and make life better for those around them.

OLDEST FRIEND: My longest-standing friend lives in Woodstock.

We have been friends since we were 11 and don’t manage to get together often enough. Whenever we do, it’s wonderful and we always have lots to say.

WIDEST SMILE: When singing La Misa Campesina.

FAVOURITE DREAM: To go to León and visit the projects we have funded and see for myself how the people of Oxford have made a difference in Nicaragua. It looks to be a beautiful country. A delegation is going from Oxford next February.