“She believed fiercely that things could be better”: A tribute to Jeanette Fidler
Revolving Doors is saddened to share the news of the death of Jeanette Fidler, a valued member of our lived experience team.
Jeanette contributed to our systems-change work for over four years, recording over two hundred activities with us. She was a familiar face at dozens of our forums, where she was an enthusiastic contributor as both participant and as a facilitator. She also qualified as a peer researcher, where her own lived experience, empathy and determination to drive change made her an integral part of Revolving Doors’ policy and research work.
Jeanette had a powerful ability to forge connection. Her energy and optimism in the face of any challenge that came her way are an example of the power of hope in even in the most difficult of circumstances, but also of her own remarkable tenacity and determination.
Many of our staff, past and present, worked closely alongside her. Others knew her through meetings, research, forums, events and training sessions. The most common retelling of any of these was that they always seemed to end with Jeanette both challenging us and making us laugh at the same time.
Jeanette was an excellent example in pushing us to confront the gap between what services say they do and what people actually experience. She fought for access to her son, for dignity in treatment, and for a system that does not make people prove they deserve help before they receive it.
Her life was complicated and hard in ways most people never see. But what defined her was what she did with that experience; she used it to make things better for others. Our work was the better for having her as a member, driving it forward with her passion and frenetic energy.
She believed fiercely that things could be better and she held us to that. The best way we can honour her is to continue the work with the same honesty she demanded of us.
Pavan Dhaliwal, CEO commented “Jeanette embodied the power of change. Despite being repeatedly failed by systems that do not properly recognise the trauma and unmet needs that drive repeat offending, she never stopped believing things could be better. She brought that belief, along with fierce honesty and humour, into our work every day, helping to challenge and reform the very system that had so often let her down. She was a credit to the organisation and we will miss her greatly.”
Staff tributes
Kelly Grehan (Policy Manager)
“I was truly privileged to know Jeanette. From the moment I met her I knew it was impossible to ignore her! She filled every room, captivated every audience and now we are all learning how to fill the quiet she left behind.
Jeanette and I were about the same age. I admired her ability to always see the hope in any situation. Optimism was so much part of who she was. She believed completely in the work we do at Revolving Doors; she wanted to take every opportunity there was to tell people about the work and the needs for change. Her story was so powerful, it hit people to see and hear from someone so passionate, talk about her experiences with such honesty. She engaged people. I saw this again and again – and it made a difference. I saw that whenever we had visitors to forums or delivered training to other people. Only last year Jeanette took part in a forum we did for David Gauke who was chairing the Sentencing Review. He was impressed with her honesty and insight, as we knew he would be.
When Jeanette would facilitate forums and round tables, she was an expert at making sure that everyone was able to speak. She put people at ease and really encourage people to use their voice.
Memorably she facilitated a workshop on a project called Lived Experience of the Law with another member. The group included some legal professionals, as well as people with lived experience and other policy people. The slides featured findings about bad experiences with legal professionals. One of the lawyers started talking about how difficult her job was and Jeanette comforted her. It was a typical example of the empathy Jeanette always had. The two women hugged at the end and the lawyer thanked Jeanette for her compassion and understanding.
I remember another time we delivered an exercise where we trained people to understand what it’s like to be caught in the system. The task was to go from table to table trying to get something sorted for a person in various scenarios of deprivation and basically be batted from pillar to post by the service. Jeanette ‘played’ one of the service workers. I had not known Jeanette that long then. I remember being struck by how completely she fulfilled the role and how she really made really understand how it felt to be on the other side of the process. I thought I knew that already, but something about the way Jeanette played the role really impacted me and I still think about it all the time.
Jeanette was joyous to be around. When she was around, I just knew the energy in the room would be high. She made me laugh. One particularly memorable occasion occurred when we sent out a request for someone to write a blog for Pride Month. Jeanette quickly volunteered via email and then replied again just seconds later asking if it mattered if she was straight!
I want her family to know that you all meant the world to Jeanette. I never had a conversation with her where she did not talk about you.
I am so sorry we have lost her so early, when she had so much still to give. I have always been fond of the saying that ‘life should not be measured in years, but by the number of people you touch.’ In Jeanette’s case she touched such a high number of people that her impact in life truly was immeasurable.”
Lottie Sellers (Communications & Public Affairs Officer)
“I find it frustrating when people who don’t know our members assume that the challenges they have faced will inevitably make them downtrodden; that they will need someone else to speak for them, encourage them to say their piece or make suggestions on their behalf. Two minutes (max) with Jeanette would put paid to this! She was a human whirlwind: it was impossible not to feel buoyed up after spending time with her, and her tenacity meant that she was never afraid to make her voice heard.
She made me laugh endlessly, cheered me up, sometimes drove me up the wall and inspired me with her vivacity, passion and boundless energy. She always had something to say – an opinion, an idea, a kind word for others.
Jeanette leaves a lot behind. Her legacy is, as George Eliot said, in “the growing good of the world”. This will endure in no small thanks part to her unflappable determination to stand up, time and time again, and advocate change in the face of adversity that for many would fairly seem insurmountable. People listened; they continue to listen, and to act. She deserves that.”
Lauren Bennett (Head of Evidence & Impact)
“I have been lucky enough to work on a range of research projects with Jeanette in my time at Revolving Doors. I could always rely on her to bring enthusiasm and curiosity to a new task and her resilience and passion for change was inspiring.
Jeanette was caring – she always looked out for other members and approached difficult subjects in interviews and group discussions with sensitivity. At the same time, she wasn’t afraid to challenge decision makers and advocate for those caught up in cycles of crisis and crime.
Projects were stronger because of Jeanette’s involvement – she helped us find research participants, made interviewees feel able to share their views and experiences and when she presented findings back – you listened!
It has been a privilege to have known, worked with and learn from such a force of nature.”
Katy Savage (Head of Partnerships)
“Whenever I worked with Jeanette, I was so impressed by her energy, her passion and her enthusiasm. The first time I met her was at an NHS England event celebrating RECONNECT. She networked the room like a pro and in the plenary discussion kept leaping up from her seat to make “just one more point”. And they were all on point. Her passion to make the system work better and ensure people got the support they needed and deserved shone through. I realise that it’s scant comfort when you just want her to still be here and are grieving her loss, but you should be so proud of all that she achieved.”
Harriet Askham (Involvement Manager)
“I had the absolute privilege of working alongside and learning from Jeanette over the years at Revolving Doors. She has to be one of the strongest, resilient and determined women I have had the pleasure of meeting.
She had such a warm personality, and you couldn’t help but be encouraged by her. When we would be out of visits or in meetings- be it in the community, a probation office, a prison, or through a computer screen- the instant rapport she could build with people was amazing. She made people feel at ease and they enjoyed talking to her, even managing to get people laughing in challenging situations. Her passion for change was infectious- if anyone ever needed a reminder about what Revolving Doors are doing or why it’s important, you would just speak to Jeanette. It was impossible not to be motivated by her.
She didn’t shy away from difficult conversations, and she would challenge people’s negative perceptions of people in the revolving door. She was proof that change is possible. People learnt from her and she definitely changed plenty of people’s hearts and minds for the better. Jeanette was a force of nature in all the best ways- no one could forget her once they’d met her.
We know Jeanette faced so many challenges and barriers in her life, but she never gave up. She was constantly fighting for the best for people who have been, are, or will be in similar situations to her- to give them a voice, for there to be understanding, and for systems to change. There’s no doubt that her family gave her this strength and purpose- I don’t think I had a conversation with Jeanette where she didn’t mention her sons, her mum or her nan.
She was a fantastic (and loud) voice at Revolving Doors and did so much great work with us. There are too many to choose from, but here are some highlights: she presented at NHS England conferences with hundreds of people; she would input into so many meetings with key people from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; and she also came to the House of Lords with us too. Don’t get me wrong, it could be hard in some meetings to get her to stop talking, but you know everything she was saying was coming from her passion and determination for change, so she just didn’t want to stop! She used her voice to help others and highlight the changes that we need to see.
We can all be proud of the impact that Jeanette had (and will still have)- not just on our organisation, but for so many more people- people she met but also future generations too. She will continue to drive our work, and we will carry her tenacity through. She will be deeply missed.”
Lucy Woods (Senior Involvement Manager)
Jeanette was colourful and full of life, once she arrived you knew there would be no half measures.
She was kind and generous with her time, experience and knowledge and so much more capable than she gave herself credit for.
She was immensely proud of her sons, the way she talked about them, how excited she was to spend time with them and how protective of the time she got with them. She was groundbreaking in her fights for them.
When I think of the importance of people with lived experience in the work we do, Jeanette is one of the first people I think of. She was right at the front, challenging, raising the difficult points, listening, and finding solutions. She was part of the team at Revolving Doors, part of the community and a big part of bringing others together.
She is more than the stories that have been written about her, those are one narrow angle of the woman she was. At Revolving Doors she shaped services, she brought people together, helped them to feel heard and valued. She shared her ideas with commissioners, civil servants, and Lords. They listened to her because she helped them to understand. She was an amazing woman and I am so proud and lucky to have known her even for only a few years.
Sean Mullen (Involvement Manager)
I was deeply saddened to hear of Jeanette’s passing. I knew she had been diagnosed with cancer, but it was still as shocking to her of her passing so soon after her diagnosis.
I knew Jeanette from about 2021, when she became more active with Revolving Doors. She was a bright light who burned bright. Jeanette always had a funny story to tell, and boy, could she tell them. She could talk the hind legs off a donkey at times, but it was always hard to stop her because she made so much sense. We once did training with Manchester police, and, as usual, Jeanette had car trouble, so she was running late. We went into the training with all the police ready, and Jeanette told everyone about her journey to the meeting rather than the training itself.
Jeanette was never short on words, and it could be a trouble for her other colleagues to get a word in. But she was bright, she was always funny, with a great sense of humour, and one of the girls. If the Spice Girls brought girl power, then it definitely filtered down to Jeanette. She was a force of nature and a great advocate for her fellow women and how their needs were not being met by the criminal justice system.
She was a great advocate and campaigner for women’s rights, who had to overcome many obstacles that were thrown in her path. She will be sorely missed by me and her colleagues at Revolving Doors, and all the people who worked with her .
RIP Jeanette, gone but never forgotten.
Member tributes
David Breakspear (former member)
“I had the privilege of working alongside Jeanette on several projects at Revolving Doors, but one that will always stay with me is being part of a training film for judges we recorded together at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Showing why lived experience matters and why people’s voices should be heard is something Jeanette really believed in. We didn’t always see eye to eye and there were times we challenged each other, but that never got in the way of our friendship. If anything, it made it stronger. We could disagree, then laugh together not long after.
I feel proud and honoured to have known Jeanette. I’ll always remember her with fondness, and a smile.”
Stuart Potts (Pottsy) (member)
“I’ve just found out this devastating news Jeanette Fidler may you rest in peace. I cannot process this news still, the uphill struggles she managed to conquer with the system always there trying to beat her back down again, but she carried on like a true warrior the achievements she made within her life and within the system, at government level I might add is truly outstanding, she was not only my colleague, she was my friend outside of Revolving Doors and, she was the most outspoken and truthful person I have ever known. She said it how it was with no frills or sugar coating but the true hard raw truth, regardless of if it got a few people’s backs up or not, and I absolutely admired her for this. People knew when Jeanette was in the room and listened intently to what she had to say, even if it felt uncomfortable what she was saying to them at least it was honest and truthful and straight to the point she will be sadly missed by many friends and family and the Revolving Doors team you were a soldier and fighter to the end, a campaigner for the injustices that go on within our society, rest in peace and God bless you and all who ever had the pleasure of crossing your path and becoming a part of your life Xx”
Pete (member)
“Jeanette was such a big character, whacky, full of joy. Such determination to determine change for women and all around her, she gave so much insight to her experiences. Just a very sad loss. She will be missed, I’ll hold onto the struggles she shared in the couple off times I’d seen her. God bless Jeanette.”
Partner tributes
Gill Hunter, Amy Kirby, Nicola Campbell and Jessica Jacobson. The Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (ICPR), Birkbeck, University of London.
“Jeanette Fidler has made a lasting contribution to research and policy reform in the criminal and family justice system. Jeanette participated in a film in 2023 – speaking powerfully on camera about her experiences of attending court – for the Judicial College training course on judgecraft, ‘The Confident Judge’. She was a key and committed member of the ‘Lived Experience of the Law’ research team between 2023 and 2025. We learned so much from her during that time. Her warmth and openness with the interviewees enriched the interview discussions about experiences of the justice system and her direct and compassionate approach caused us to reflect upon and challenge ‘conventional’ approaches to interviewing. She chaired policy workshops, instigating honest and respectful dialogue with civil servants, lawyers and judges about how things could and should be improved. She made us laugh – a lot – and was always a positive and supportive contributor at study events. We will truly miss Jeanette.”
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
“It was lovely to work with her over the last few years and I appreciate all the work she did for us in improving the lives of those still in the system.”
“I am deeply saddened to hear about Jeanette’s passing. She was truly an asset to Revolving Doors, and her contributions were invaluable. Her honesty and openness while helping us review some of our services across GMIRS were greatly appreciated and will be remembered.”
“Jeanette really helped develop our understanding of need and her engagement with us helped us understand how we can better support people. She will be missed.”
