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It is difficult to find the words to sum up Elaine’s importance to all our lives. Above all she was an intelligent, loving, caring, friend, who steadfastly provided not just love but support. The remarkable thing is that you rarely, if ever, needed to ask for help. She would be there in an instant, anticipating whatever help she could think of. He...more

Elaine was one of those people who you often bumped into around Leytonstone, often with a bike and always with a smile. I was never surprised when one of my daughters said; 'I saw Elaine today'. These encounters were always positive. She was also our political and moral compass. I will continue to ask what would Elaine have thought and done, for s...more

Those of us in Bookclub were so grateful to Elaine for taking on its stewardship after Claire. Elaine hosted meetings with such gentleness and empathy, ensuring that each of us got a personal "how are you "- an extra hour to share our lives and worries before getting onto the book. Ian and I felt very glad when our friendship with Elaine and Paul g...more

2 great Elaine stories When at Leicester they had an American exchange student staying with them . On the day she left to go back to the States she walked her to the bus stop . Then thought she'd catch the bus with her to the station . Then thought she'd go on the platform to wave her off. Then got on the train to give her hug . And the train left...more

Elaine was the most natural person I knew, her lack of artifice was endearing. Once she rang me concerned about an interview she had just been to. It was a hot day and during the interview she had slipped her shoes off under the table and then realised to her horror that the panel were all staring at her bare feet. We agreed that perhaps she wasn't...more

Elaine certainly loved to feed people. When we had covid Elaine came round with wonderful curry dishes all in separate containers and all neatly labelled. At folk choir she had a way of finding out people's birthdays without them realising and then turning up with a cake big enough for thirty people, with candles of course. I have so many happy me...more

Elaine's generosity even extended to giving away the produce Paul grew on his allotment. The look of agony on Paul's face as Elaine kindly said would you like some apples, plums, tomatoes etc. As a fellow allotmenteer I had some sympathy for Paul, knowing the blood, sweat and tears which had gone into his achievements. But I know that she appreciat...more

I remember sitting in the car with Paul, going to football, having a blokey,laughing conversation about our partners. I always remember Paul saying "The thing about Elaine though, in the end, she is always right". We were actually both very lucky to meet our life partners. Paul never took Elaine for granted.

Memories of Elaine My earliest recollection of Elaine was meeting her for the first time when Mum came out of hospital with her. We arrived home from school to be greeted by a very excited father. He led the three of us into the lounge where Mum was sitting on a chair with this tiny bundle on her knee. I thought that she was cute. Maybe, that had s...more

Dad was always very strict and if he said no then there was no arguing. His decision was final. Imagine my surprise when I came back to Malta to continue my nursing training in the Queen Alexander’s Royal Naval Hospital at Bighi to find Elaine tying Dad in knots! Elaine wanted to do something and Dad said no. It didn’t end there. Elaine asked for a...more

Despite Elaine’s grandfather being a Saville Row tailor, she never took an interest in sewing of any sort. Why bother when a safety pin will do the job. Soon after Moira was born I went down to London to stay and give a hand with anything that would be helpful. Elaine handed me a pile of mending, grateful that one of her siblings had taken up tailo...more

Elaine was a very special sister. On one occasion whilst I was looking after my husband Brian, who was receiving palliative care for his advanced cancer, I became ill with a minor viral infection. Elaine came up on the train to care for us both until I was well enough to take over the reins again. My modern electric oven was a puzzle to her. Not be...more

Elaine was a very special person. Her personality shone like sunshine wherever she went. Her mission in life was to see justice done for those who were at a disadvantage. She was a wonderful supportive sister. I still expect her to phone to see how I am or to forward an email link for a Hoctor zoom meeting. I shall miss her terribly as I know all t...more

One of the first times I visited Moira's house in college I don't think I left for 3days. I don't have many photos but they're fixed in memory. Of waking Elaine at 3am not to be greeted by outrage but a warm smile, a chat, a cup of tea, a place to sleep and usually breakfast. Elaine cared and listened. Her home was a home-from-home for me and many...more

When I met up with my husband to be,Bernard Hoctor, at a Tal Handaq school reunion in 1993, little did I know that I would become part of the Hoctor family. I got to know Ann and Elaine thro’ the walking trips we did together . 2016 was on Hadrian’s Wall and the next year in the Lake District. When we had Svargo to stay, we would invite the rest of...more

I have special memories of working with Elaine in Waterloo Action Centre providing advice and empowering local people to access their rights to benefits .Recently, I met up with Elaine on Stop the War marches. She was very committed and said she "felt compelled" to participate in the marches. She was a lovely friend and had a great sense of hum...more

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I worked with Elaine at Waterloo Action Centre. She provided welfare rights advice to local people. She empowered them to access their rights to benefits. Recently, I met up with Elaine on Stop the War marches. She was very committed and said she felt compelled to participate in the marches .She was a special person with a great sense of humour an...more

Some thoughts from the Sayers family: Olivia - a distinctive infectious laugh that could always be heard whenever she was around. Daisy - I have a faint memory sitting at a dining table at Elaine's house and she was so accommodating to make sure I was ok - and her saying what a lovely name Daisy is. I must have been about 6/7/8 Becca - Her amazing ...more

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Moving to London in your 20s and living life in the fast lane is all well and good.... until you start missing the comfort of community. Luckily, in July 2020, I moved next door to Elaine and Paul. Within weeks I was reminded of what it was like to have neighbors that looked out for you, that you could have a chat with, that made you feel safe. We ...more

In 2020, Frankie and I moved in next door, we put up a cardboard protest sign on our window that said “Capitalism is the beast that will consume us all!” Elaine was the first to comment on it and said she loved it. It’s fair to say that we knew we’d all immediately get on as neighbours. We’d always stop for a chat, pick up some gardening tips, and ...more

Dear Paul, Moira and Michael I know Nic has written, but I wanted to send a note to say what a terrible shock it has been to hear about Elaine. I am so, so sorry for your loss and sending you all love as you go on from here Elaine was a special and remarkable person. She was warm and kind, always looking out for people other than herself, and so ...more

Last year , or was it the year before we went to see Diane Jones at the Water Rats , a very small venue. Bought 2 beers and sat at our table. I knocked over a full pint straight away all over ourselves . Replenished the glass. Elaine then knocked a full pint over herself . Replenished the glass. Put it on the table . And , I kid you not , as we s...more

French toilet no 1 We were on a train in France somewhere . Elaine comes back from the toilet . She couldn't believe it . The toilet was just a drain in the floor. Subsequent investigation showed the toilet was next door and she had used the drain under the hand basin French toilet no 2 In a bar in France Elaine came back complaining that the ha...more

Wonderful to read these memories of Elaine. To be her friend for 30 years was a privilege and I have been remembering some of the amusing stories that we would revisit occasionally. For Carol and I it was the fun we had that made time with her so special. Elaine loved the gentle digs we would aim at Paul ( admittedly an open goal providing comed...more

The German Girl Guide Saga Some 10 years ago I was working in our community pub in LLan Ffestiniog. Around 9 o'clock a group of about 10 young German Girl Guides arrived looking for a place to camp and a pole to hold up their tent. Over a few days they were doing a 70 mile adventure hike from Drenewydd to Caernarfon where they would pick up a coac...more

When I think about Elaine the words humanitarian, kindness, fairness, justice for all, steeliness come to mind. Throughout her life and career in housing and welfare rights Elaine championed the rights of working class people, she made a real difference to so many people. She worked hard to improve the lives of people in her local community,...more

I got to know Elaine when we lived across the road from her and Paul, and our kids were small. She was immensely kind when I was having a hard time and I will always remember that.

Like so many here, my overwhelming memories of Elaine are of her kindness and generosity. When we were flooded out of our house in 2021 Elaine and Paul put us up for several weeks. While already giving us free board there were also an awful lot of home cooked meals and kind words, she even lent me her bike to make things easier. Elaine's depths of...more

Elaine was one in millions. It would be difficult to find another with such kindness, generosity and love. Elaine gave her all in everything she did. She was there for all who new her. I will really miss her tales told with such humour along with that laugh and the eyes that always twinkled. Elaine you will always be popping up in my mind of happy ...more

Comrade On many marches we walked together Chatting about the news, From Palestine to the NHS Equality was her muse She hoped and strove for better things For young and old alike On picket lines you find her Never afraid to join a strike. Gentle kindness flowed through Elaine Like water through a weir Not very surprising that So many of us he...more

Bernard’s Memories of Elaine My youngest sister Elaine was a most remarkable member of our close family. She spent her life helping others in need and setting a fine example for everyone. She was very supportive of our parents, making sure that they enjoyed plenty of time with their grandchildren Moira and Michael. During her own childhood Elaine ...more

When Elaine’s brother and I stayed at her place in London I called my family in Prague on the land line. When I was leaving I was giving to Elaine some money for the call and she said “no need to pay we have buckets of money”. Since then in my memory she stayed the most generous person I was to ever meet. Lots of love Elaine. Susana

I worked with Elaine at Waterloo Action Centre in the 1980s, it was an exciting time with lots of community organising and advice going on and I was the new girl in the collective up from Swansea. Elaine made me feel really welcome and was warm and her integrity always shone through! Best wishes and condolences to her family

I first got to know Elaine when I started working for Camden in 1990. Elaine started a conversation with me on the Gospel Oak-Barking train. Before I knew it she was telling me about the campaign to save the line and asking me to sign a petition! In those days it wasn't often that she wasn't without a clipboard and petition! She was a hardworking a...more

Elaine, the kindest and most thoughtful person, who always worked tirelessly for the best outcome for everyone, both in her campaigning and in her friendships. She was a gem of a person and in my case didn't mind taking a risk in upsetting someone for the greater good! I remember when we were young, long before kids....I didn't always see eye to ey...more

Way back in the mists of time I was Elaine's job sharer in housing advice at Camden. I remember her passion for helping people achieve the best outcomes, formidable organisational skills and energy for fighting injustice and inequality in a positive and constructive way. A very inspiring influence who taught me a lot xx

Elaine's desire for a fair society came from profound kindness. I remember canvassing with her for the Labour party during the 2017 UK General Election. We walked quite a long way, knocking on doors. As a dual citizen, I took her lessons to the 2022 New York midterms, canvassing for the Democrats. The backlash is severe in 2025, but may Elaine's me...more

I was very sad and shocked to hear that Elaine had died suddenly. I was so glad that we had had a lovely time together when Elaine and Paul stayed with me in Stroud on their way to Cornwall. I first met Elaine when she came to work at Waterloo Action Centre, I think, sometime in 1980. She was the Advice Worker & Administrator at WAC. She trained a...more

Sometimes you have the pleasure of crossing paths with a person who shines. Elaine was one of those. A genuinely kind and thoughtful person who exuded sincerity.

1975 the Leicester University sit-in - Elaine was ascending the ladder propped up against the Fielding Johnson building in order to enter via a first floor open window. A university porter (there were no security guards) tried to shake her off the ladder

Elaine is taken to the Leicester Police Station Elaine and I worked in the SU bar from 1972-76. We were so often seen around together that many people confused the two of us.... This incident his occurred during the academic 1974-75 when I was in France... After working serving drinks in the SU bar, there was usually a singsong. Customers & bar s...more

Elaine and Fashion - the Leicester Years 1972-1978 As students and beyond from 1972-1979 we (Janet, Jatinder, Sue, Marian and Elaine) shared a house – 88 Westcotes Drive, Leicester. As you can imagine, a house full of young politicised women, we shared many things; household chores & decorating; shopping, cooking … and, of course, clothes. Elaine’...more

Janet, Sue and I shared some memories form our days in Westcotes Drive, Leicester... As well as our clothes, we shared politics and many arguments. We attended feminist Women’s Liberation consciousness raising sessions, where patriarchal oppression was revealed to us. We campaigned against apartheid South Africa and the British Occupation of the ...more

Leicester Street Theatre A perhaps surprising aspect of our lives in Leicester was the street theatre group that Elaine and Sue joined.. .They raised contemporary issues, including homelessness, through song, dance and speech. Performances ranged from Leicester's main theatre to street theatre in the square outside the town hall. Elaine and Sue ...more

The photo opposite is the civilized bit before it all kicked off (on brand with other Christmas' I spent at the Walkers'). In 2012 Elaine and Paul invited me for Christmas in Leyton (as my family lived abroad) and even changed the date of celebrations so I could make it after work. We all ended up dancing on tables in paper hats with numerous other...more

‘Elaine and I were Tal Handaq students, but at that life stage, five years’ age difference is looong, and we really only knew each other through our respective siblings. Living in a brewery, the Hoctors were considered a glamorous bunch and held in some awe! Many years later, in one of those inexplicable twists of fate, Ellie and I found ourselves...more

Very shocked and sad to hear this news about Elaine. It only seemed like yesterday I was talking to her over her morning cup of tea while staying at my mother Jane’s house in September. Thoughts with Paul, Micheal & Moira at this difficult time.

I most remember Elaine's warmth and sense of fun (and her laugh) combined with that passion for social justice and all the things that she cared about so much. In the school playground, over a meal, or at our annual table tennis event Elaine was such a joyful and positive presence. We'll all miss her so much

I don’t have any pictures from the year I lived with Paul and Elaine, I don’t think I took pictures as much then, even though it was only 12 years ago. But I don’t think any picture could capture how happy I was the year I lived on Murchison Road. I had needed a place to live in London and a drunken conversation with Moira - “come and live with me...more

Elaine adored Moira and Michael and remembered so much about their childhood , even tiny details. If anything even slightly bad had happened to them she still seemed to feel it .She cared a lot about all the people in her life and was always preaching caution to the younger generation . For example , Moira was planning a tattoo and I remember Elai...more

Elaine was a wonderful person, both socially and in her activism, large- and small-scale. When Ruth first met her, at the NCT working mothers' group, she was campaigning to have Gwyn Jones accept childminders' residences as well as parents', for determining catchment areas - that was one of her successful ones! Over the years, we've probably met as...more

I first met Elaine at Camden Housing Aid Centre in Euston road. I remember her job intervew to be a housing adviser. She was excellent on benefits, housing law and equalities and of course she got the job! She was amused by the lay out of the Euston Road centre. It had one entrance door. Facing the door was a large heavy desk behind which t...more

Elaine will always be, in my mind and heart, the most wonderfully kind, intelligent, interested and involved person. She always, somehow, knew the right thing to say. I will really miss her.

Before the days of mobile phones I had to take my daughter to a clinic near to Elaine's house. On the way back, I saw a huge poster in Elaine's front window saying 'Frances knock on my door for a cup of tea' It made me chuckle but more than that it made me feel very special , though of course Elaine was lovely to everyone. I have so many wonderfu...more