Jill DâCruz obituary
Jill DâCruz at home in 2020. In the 1970s she helped former addicts return to independent living, and later moved into youth work
Jill DâCruz at home in 2020. In the 1970s she helped former addicts return to independent living, and later moved into youth work
JaimieD Cruz
Thu 8 Apr 2021 13.30 EDT
Last modified on Thu 8 Apr 2021 13.32 EDT
In 1969, my mother, Jill DâCruz, who has died aged 76, began her career in community work by volunteering at the Wandsworth Council for Community Relations, working on projects in south London including Balham Law Centre and the Balham Adventure Playground Campaign. In 1974, she was one of the first to qualify from the new Community and Youth Work course at Goldsmithsâ College, London. Jill then began working with heroin users, first at the Hungerford Project (now part of the charity Turning Point) and from 1976 at Cranstoun, a therapeutic residential commune helping prepare former addicts for the r