The Iolanthe Trust was saddened to hear of the death of Dr Sally Marchant, in June 2026.
Sally was a midwife trustee with Iolanthe from 4/1/99 through to 4/1/2004, and also served as Chair. She was one of an intake of five new trustees that January. Prior to this she had been an Iolanthe award winner, in 1992 and 1997.
During the period of her trusteeship The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust saw a steady increase in the number of applications for the awards, after a period where there had been a slight decline followed by a plateau. The role of the trustees in this increase cannot be underestimated; using their profile and reach they all played a fundamental part in spreading the message about the awards.
Just before her term of office ended, Sally was part of the board that approved a new award. The Dame Rosalind Paget Award (established 2004). The Dame Rosalind Paget Trust was set up in 1919 with a number of aims, including 'doing any such things as will in the opinion of the trustees improve the status, education and well-being of midwives'.
Following the closure in 1997 of Rosalind Paget's publishing company, Nursing Notes Ltd, the remaining funds from their Trust (approx £28,000) were donated to the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust. The Trustees decided that this award (of £500) should be given on an annual basis to the highest-scoring application which aimed to progress practice through the use of complementary therapies.
The contribution of Sally as a trustee of The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust focusing on strategy, oversight, legislative and regulatory compliance, contributed to the development and consolidation of a robust organisational infrastructure, helping ensure the Trust's continued and flourishing existence.