Gloria was born in Jamaica in 1943. She came to the UK when she was just 15 years old. She says she looks for good for a 76-year-old because she ’no smoke, no drink and no bleaching’ (bleaching means -staying up late).
Gloria has had quite an eventful life. She used to be a model and appeared on several Reggae album covers. In the late 60s, she worked at Bobby Moore’s leather coat factory on Liverpool Street. She told me that the legend of England would often come into the factory and that he was a 'decent man'.
She was working in Harrods when it was bombed by the IRA in 1983. Luckily, she was unharmed in the canteen on one of the upper floors at the time. During the infamous riots, she worked for the Ministry of Defence and was a chef in Wandsworth prison in the 90s. Again, she was lucky to be in a part of the prison that wasn’t affected.
She now owns ‘Gloria’s’ in Tooting Market, which specialises in Caribbean groceries. The market is changing with many new trendy food stalls, but Gloria has her regulars and is doing well.
She loves living in the UK - ‘You will not find another country like this. If you are living in England, you are living’ good! There’s nothing better than the English- I won’t ever live anywhere else.’
RIP Gloria ‘Miss G’ 1943-2022
