Maryann Saddique
Maryann Saddique was born in 1965 in Bristol. She has been involved with Silai for Skills since it began, and she is on the Management Committee.
"My parents are from Pakistan and I was born and bred in Bristol so basically that makes me a Bristolian. Being brought up here, this is my home, but it's just nice to know that I can go back and see where my mum was born and my dad was born. My dad came over first, I don't really know what brought him, I think work did. And then from there he got married to my mum, then my mum came over and they've been here ever since. Well, my dad's been here over 45 years I think, he came some time in the Sixties, so he's been here a long time. He has got a Bristol accent and he knows Bristol like the back of his hand, you can ask him anywhere, a road or a place he'll know where it is, he can guide you very easily, you don't need a map just ask him, and you'll get there.
I started coming to Silai when they were in Totterdown. It was just in a small room. We had sewing classes and there were so many women, and the room was half the size of this room. And we were on the top floor of a YMCA building, which we rented from them. It wasn't like now where you've got all the industrial machines fixed in place and everything is there at your hands reach. We had normal sewing machines and there must have been at least ten women in the room and the rooms weren't as big as the ones we have here now. We didn't have the cutting tables or nothing like that at all. Looking at where we are now, it's come a long way."s
