In the third of our series on the twenty women shortlisted for the honour of having a statue in the city, we look at Louise Da-Cocodia.
Louisa was an inspirational person, who was a true role model for all and a pillar of the community
Affectionately known as Mrs D, Louise Da-Cocodia was born in Church Penn, St. Catherine, Jamaica in 1934, one of two daughters of a railway foreman.
In 1951 she came to England to train as a State Registered Nurse at one of the hospitals in London. Despite encountering prejudice she achieved her dreams of becoming a midwife and health visitor.
She met her husband who was studying law at Manchester University and moved to the city in 1966 taking up the post of assistant superintendent of District nurses.
She was a former Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Greater Manchester andA justice of the peace for fourteen years, a non executive member of Manchester’s Health board, she was a member of the Hytner Tribunal, set up to look into the causes of the Moss Side riots.
An advisor on the Moss Side and Hulme Task Force, she was also a member of the General Synod of the Church of England and a lay canon.
She helped kick-start voluntary organisations and business programmes for inner city residents, including Cariocca Enterprises, her years of service were rewarded with an MBE and an honorary MA from University of Manchester.
She died in 2008 and in a fitting tribute at a council meeting Manchester’s Mayor described her as “a tireless worker supporting community cohesion and the celebration of the contribution that different cultures bring to the life and vibrancy of our city.”
