Jane Hatton founded Evenbreak in 2011. Her main skills include having the gift of the gab, a determination to promote fairness, and finding great people to work for Evenbreak. She also has a degenerative spinal condition, which means she lives with chronic pain following several spinal surgeries.
Jane’s great passion, other than her family (and Evenbreak!), is music – it has been part of her life since she was a child. Classically trained, she played the violin in amateur orchestras in the West Midlands, where she lived for many years; notably the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and the West Midlands Light Orchestra.
Having to come to terms with not being able to play in an orchestra was a real challenge for Jane when she became disabled (Jane has a degenerative spinal condition), and it took several years to work through. Now, however, not only has Jane come to terms with her disability, but she can derive real pleasure from music again. As she says, “I think it’s a grieving process isn’t it, because I did spend two years mourning all the things I could no longer do, until I suddenly thought… maybe I should focus on the things I can do!”. Now Jane has joined a local choir, and while she acknowledges it is not quite the same as playing the great orchestral symphonies, she loves being part of a group of people who make music together.
And it’s not only making music that Jane loves – she is a keen member of the South Bank Centre in London, attending classical concerts when she can. While she is not able to sit for long periods of time, she can stand at the back of the auditorium, and occasionally treats herself to a box, where she can alternate between sitting and standing, without irritating others!
Her family is a great source of pride to Jane – her two daughters have both made very positive contributions to society. Alex runs a base for autistic children, in a special needs school. As Jane says of Alex, “she’s incredibly talented… she absolutely gets those kids!” And Pip, who has worked in International Development from Ghana to India, including volunteering in refugee camps in Greece, has now settled in Australia. Jane’s young granddaughter Talia has yet to make her mark on the world, but Jane has high hopes for her. Unsurprising, given her positive female role models!
Meet other members of the Evenbreak Team.
