After her son died by suicide, Ann Pearce founded Weez Project to raise awareness of youth mental health
- Upon receiving the devastating news, Ann Pearce says she knew she had to do something
- She founded Weez Project to raise awareness about youth suicide and youth mental health
Government work: My father was a tax inspector. He and my mother moved around a bit and I was born in Bexley, Kent (in southern England), in 1961. I went to school in Bexley and we then moved to Crawley, in Sussex, and then Bromley, where I did my A-levels.
I had a great history teacher and was introduced to politics by a great politics teacher. It opened my eyes to the big world. In 1983, I went to the University of Manchester to study politics and modern history. After graduation, I dropped into the civil service and worked for the city council in Manchester and then moved to London and worked for the Department for Employment.
It was interesting to be on the inside and see what goes on in government. As officers, we did the research so that ministers could answer the questions at PMQ (Prime Minister’s Questions). It was fascinating to see the process, but I didn’t stay long because I found it a bit stiff and bureaucratic and I wanted to be in a more dynamic environment.
We came to Hong Kong in 1996, a year before the handover. It was exciting to be here
Heading to Hong Kong: I was accepted on the graduate scheme at Midland Bank. I resigned from my safe job in the civil service to go into the financial sector on Black Monday (October 19, 1987). I worked for Midland, which became HSBC, in London, Southampton and then in London again.
I met my husband, Tony, when I moved to London. We’d both been at Manchester at the same time and had circles that interacted, but it was only when I moved to London that we got to know each other. We got married in 1991 and lived in Twickenham. I thought it was a place I could put down roots.
Tony had gone back and forth to Hong Kong a few times for work, and I’d visited, too. He was offered a position with Hong Kong Telecom while I was working for HSBC Insurance. I asked if there was an opportunity in Hong Kong – there was an opening and I was wanted. We came to Hong Kong in 1996, a year before the handover. It was exciting to be here. We got a flat on Robinson Road, in Mid-Levels.
Falling in love: We knew that we wanted children and decided that adoption could be good for us and also for the children. Absolute credit to the Social Welfare Department, they were thorough and not bureaucratic. They made sure they knew who we were and that the child would be safe with us and we had the wherewithal to know what we were doing.