Carol Foster,proudly wearing her Palestine Solidarity Campaign Lanyard
Carol Foster will be a familiar face to many people in Brent, especially Wembley Park and Chalkhill. Carol saw retirement not as a chance to put feet up, but an opportunity to pitch herself headlong into political campaigning for human rights and environmental and social justice. She continued to be an active trade unionist and for a while was RMT 's delegate to Brent Trades Council.
Sadly, Carol died unexpectedly on Sunday February 1st after a short illness, surrounded by fellow campaigners who were also her dearest friends. Her funeral takes place on Monday.
Seasoned political photographer, Steve Eason, has give Wembley Matters permission to publish some of the wonderful photographs he took over the years: photographs that show the breadth of Carol's decades of campaigning.
The photograph below is from the Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign Facebook where fellow campaigners were in awe of Carol's passion and energy - she sometimes managed several demonstrations in one day - and they loved her for it.
There were many tributes to Carol from friends old and new on the Brent and Harrow PSC Whats App Group. This is just one from Myles Hickey:
I would like to add a few memories in tribute to Carol, who sadly has been taken from us too early. I first met Carol at one of our street gatherings in Kilburn or Willesden organised by the branch. Her presence was pretty much guaranteed at these events. She was a good speaker, able to give a poignant account of her family's experiences at the end of WW2 and of their dealings with the British state and with Zionists. She never flinched from recounting details from her personal and family life, which others might not have shared, in order to help the cause of Palestinian freedom.
She made the same heartfelt contributions at the weekly IJAN led picket in Swiss Cottage calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely. I particularly remember one speech she gave at a Wembley Central event, which brought home to me what a turbulent time her family had endured at the end of the last world war. She had always hoped to see Palestinian liberation in her lifetime, an achievement which her parents did not witness.
She had a no-nonsense approach, she was direct and outspoken and she always had something to say. You never just exchanged greetings with Carol, she would always tell you of her latest interaction with others, often spiky exchanges where these involved relatives or acquaintances who did not share her politics. These stories were often funny and told with Carol's mischievous grin. She could be quite ribald!
I remember her fall at Piccadilly tube in September 2024 while on the way to a national march. I sent her a message telling her how we missed her wit and feisty spirit on the march; my get well card to her was of a sparrow, as Carol, big in heart but tiny in physical stature, always reminded me of one. Needless to say, as soon as she got out of hospital she was back in action in the cause of Palestine. She was a courageous individual whose fighting spirit inspires all of us who had the good fortune to know her.
The photograph below catches bueatifully another side to Carol, that she by no means kept to herself: her immense love of dogs, The lovely picture of a besotted Carol was posted by the Lounge Cafe, of the Chalkhill Community Centre. Carol could often be found there on the corner sofa, beside the counter, scrolling through her mobile phone, probably for details of yet another protest, demonstration or march. If you were lucky (and had the time) she might entertain you with one of her fabulous stories.
Farewell Carol.
