Growing Up Under the Mango Tree

Born in Malaysia in 1946, Lily Forbes grew up in Colonial Malaysia as the middle child of a large family. Her adolescent years were spent in Pondicherry, South India. In 1969 she realised her childhood dream of coming to England. She qualified as a general nurse then as a midwife in 1974, and later in 1991 trained as a Sick Children's Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital where she had the privilege of meeting Princess Diana. At the age of fifty-two, in 1998, she obtained a Masters in Medical Anthropology at Brunel University. Since retiring from working at the Bristol Children's Hospital as a Clinical Co-ordinator she has pursued other dreams, in particular her love of travel, by visiting Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, and Brazil, amongst many other inspiring places. Cooking is also a huge passion and she loves fusion cooking. In 2009 she appeared on BBC2's Instant Restaurant. Married with two daughters, she is proud grandmother to Maddie. She divides her time between Bristol and Manchester.