Author Jacqueline Blackett
Jacqueline Wendy Blackett (nee Halley) was born in Guyana. She resided in Perth, Mahaicony, located on the East Coast of Demurer, until she left Guyana to pursue nursing at Standish Hospital, Gloucestershire, England in 1969. She was educated at Mahaicony Church of Scotland School in Demerara and Victoria High School in New Amsterdam Berbice, Guyana.
She successfully studied various branches of nursing, including Registered General Nursing (previously known as SRN) at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire and was employed at several hospitals in England. She also pursued a career in Acupuncture and gained a Diploma at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in London in the 1980s.
Shortly after qualifying as a practitioner in acupuncture, the author was so enraptured with this form of natural therapy that she was determined to expand her knowledge. She commenced her postgraduate studies at The Open University for Complementary Medicine in Sri Lanka, founded by world renowned multi discipline Complementary medicine lecturer, Professor Anton Jayasuriya. The Open University of Sri Lanka is host to students from 170 countries, including the UK, USA, Egypt, Australia, Germany and China.
Blackett qualified for the International Certificate in Acupuncture gaining first class honours. Her exam score was recorded as the second highest in the history of the university at the time of achievement (during the 1980s). The university was established in 1962. So impressive was her performance that she was encouraged by members of staff at the university to pursue a PhD, which she successfully completed in 1989.
Blackett previously worked as an associate member of staff for Bedfordshire Health Promotion Agency. She was an assistant researcher in Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Needs at De Montfort University, Bedford from 2001 to 2004.
In 1993, she was voted Health Professional of the year at the Luton Caribbean Heritage Award Ceremony. She also worked part time as a visiting lecturer in Adult Education, teaching Acupressure at Lea Manor Community College and South Luton Community College, both located in Bedfordshire, England from 1992. She also teaches Acupressure to residents of her local community on a voluntary capacity for the past 7 years.
In 2003 she was a national winner of the Citizens Action Millennium Award for her well structured project on health education for several groups within her local community. Blackett was recruited weekly health columnist for The Voice newspaper-the largest ethnic minority newspaper in the U.K in 2006, after the publication of her 1st book, which was seen by the manager of the newspaper.
Blackett has resided in Luton for nearly 3 decades. She is married, and is the mother of three.
Jacqueline Wendy Blackett Author of the Holistic Guide to Health & Self-Awareness (2004) and 50 Questions & Answers on Family Health & Welfare Issues (2007)