Families come in all shapes and sizes. That's what makes working as a nanny seem like such an individual experience for each person - and there is no-one more familiar with this concept than professional nanny Theresa Manley. She has been lucky enough to have worked for two close-knit families who, in terms of their backgrounds and lifestyles, are worlds apart.
Back in 1986 Theresa, an NNEB, secured a job by word of mouth with Lord and Lady Hesketh as a full-time nanny to their two young girls at Easton Neston, the Hesketh's magnificent parkland estate near Towcester, Northamptonshire. Easton Neston has been in the news in the past month since Lord Hesketh took the unusual step of putting his stately home for sale on the open market at 50m. It sits on 9,000 acres of land and is, according to Theresa, 'the perfect place to bring up children'. As grand as it all may seem, however, Theresa says the Heskeths proved themselves to be a down-to-earth family.
'The house was so beautiful and extraordinary, but it was also very lived-in,' she says. 'There were obviously many precious treasures on display, but both the children and visitors were never discouraged from touching anything or moving around as freely as they wanted to. I'm glad to say that it was very much a children's home and they were always seen to be happily skating around the house.'
When she first joined the family, Theresa was responsible for the Heskeths'
daughters Flora, aged four, and Sophia, who was 18 months. A couple of years later they had another child, Freddie.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing Theresa remembers is the children's enormous playroom, the answer to any child's dream. 'It was bigger than an average two-storey house, with huge 12-foot windows that looked out into the gardens and beautiful tapestries which hung from the walls,' she recalls. 'The playroom had an enormous trampoline and quite a large Wendy House that had been transformed from a cupboard. There was a large shelving area stacked with literally hundreds of different teddy bears, a rocking horse with a seesaw seat on each end, masses of books, building blocks and dollies lying in prams. I remember a huge dressing-up trunk and old-fashioned pedal cars that used to belong to Lord Hesketh and his brother. There were little wooden trains too, which Freddie absolutely loved to play with.'
Whatever the attractions of the playroom, Theresa is a firm believer in getting children out and about - and what better place to explore than the acres of land surrounding the house. 'So often we walked for miles and miles through the grounds,' she says. 'I would take the children to see the grazing cattle and sheep, and there was a beautiful pond with a fountain. I was lucky enough to have access to all of Lord Hesketh's cars, so sometimes I'd take the children on trips out of the estate. Whatever happened, he always made sure there was a vehicle ready to take the children to school every morning. Sometimes I took them to the local library, or we'd get together with a circle of friends who were also nannies and have lunch parties for the children.'
Throughout the time Theresa lived with the Heskeths they inevitably grew very close and she was lucky enough to accompany them on some lavish holidays. 'It was work, but it was very enjoyable! We went to Portugal and Barbados for Christmas. For the last three years I worked for them we went to Saint Tropez and took the children to Disney World in Florida. No matter where we went we always stayed in beautiful accommodation. It was like home away from home, really.
'They also had a flat in South Kensington in London, so on occasions we stayed there. Lord Hesketh was a member of Mrs Thatcher's government at the time, so we all went to the opening of Parliament and visited the House of Lords.'
After seven very happy years with the Heskeths, Theresa left to marry and start her own family In Cornwall. After her first son, William, was born she separated from her husband and moved to Suffolk where she remarried and soon found herself working as nanny for a very different kind of family.
'I started working for a GP and consultant in 1995 and looked after their three young children. I suppose, like everyone else, they were always rushing to work, trying to juggle a career and family,' she says. 'They both had very demanding and professional working lives and of course they didn't have the staff support the Heskeths had. If the children were ever ill, they couldn't afford to take time off and still had to go to work.'
As a result of working for such a contrasting family, Theresa feels her own experiences as a nanny were also very different. She explains, 'I wasn't a live-in nanny and only worked three-and-a-half days a week, so I suppose you could say that I wasn't as part of the family as I was with the Heskeths. I never went on holidays with them - even though they did invite me. I felt they wanted some privacy and time to themselves, so I always took my holidays separately.
'I did feel a whole lot more under pressure in this job, simply because this time round I had set hours from 8.20 to 6.30. At the end of the day I still went round and picked up the bricks scattered around on the floor, cleaned up the playdough, or sometimes polished their shoes. I would never have felt happy if I had left the house looking untidy.
'When I was with the Heskeths, it was a different story because I was on call 24/7. I actually think I prefer living in with a family, because you are under much more pressure when you're working to deadlines.'
Even so, she felt privileged to have the job. 'They were a working family who were very busy and who really needed my help. I was also very lucky because I was able to take my son to work instead of paying someone else to look after him, when it's the job I do myself.
'William is a similar age to their daughters, so I took them to regular toddler groups together. As with the Heskeths' children, I tried to get them out as much as possible and encouraged minimum television watching. We did very similar activities, like going to the seaside or having picnics.
Both places were very different to work in, but when you think about it, the job is the same, so I've worked the same in both situations. Children are all equal, regardless of title or background.'
Since leaving the last family to look after her new son, Miles, Theresa regularly maintains contact with the GP and consultant and has also had the pleasure of seeing the Heskeths' children grow up. 'I've kept in touch with both families and I think that's important, because I've dedicated so much time to the children. It's lovely to hear how they're all getting on.'
