Caroline's Story

In the mid 1970s Caroline joined the Allied Suppliers retail group where, as Public Relations Executive, she met her future husband Jack Fawcett – a Development Director of the company.  Jack seconded Caroline to Allied’s property division to promote its national development programme, expanding the Presto chain of food stores.

In 1976 the couple joined Associated Dairies to spearhead the company’s drive to get Asda Superstores into the south of England.  They worked mainly from home, firstly from Harrow-on-the-Hill, and then from their thatched cottage in Buckinghamshire.

Caroline and Jack changed the image of Asda by creating an entirely new look for their stores; and their early success in Essex was followed by many more.

When Jack was ‘head-hunted’ by the House of Holland to become their Property Director Caroline retired, but after only a few months she found that a life of leisure did not suit her.  As Dysart Associates she therefore started buying and renovating derelict houses in the villages around their Buckinghamshire home.  The business flourished, and Caroline soon decided to re-enter the commercial development arena, forming Dysart Developments Ltd in 1983 – and with Jack leaving the House of Holland to join her as Chairman.

From its first development of a Morrisons superstore in Tyne & Wear, the company acquired a reputation for quality and best practice; and the couple became known for their ‘can do’ approach to seemingly impossible regeneration sites.  Growing to a group of 13 companies, Dysart was perhaps best known for its development of the £160 million 60 acre Newcastle Business Park – for which Caroline and Jack won numerous national and regional awards, not the least being the Gordon Ford Special Award for an ‘Outstanding Contribution from a Commercial Interest’.  The Business Park was opened in 1991 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who described it as “a dream turned to reality”.  It was the biggest development in the North East for a century.

With Caroline as Managing Director (supervising and controlling all the legal, administrative, and PR aspects of the company), and Jack as Chairman, Dysart’s developments spread across the Country.  In London’s Docklands they developed the £27 million ‘Sovereign House’.

In Durham the National Health Executive’s new regional headquarters, Mountjoy II; and on Walker Riverside the 14 acre oil pipeline plant and European Headquarters for Florida based Wellstream.

There were many other schemes, but the jewel in the Dysart crown came when they were chosen to redevelop the 700 acre ex-steel works site in Consett; which was the largest regeneration development in Europe at the time.

Caroline sold the Dysart Group in October 2004 in expectation of a long and happy retirement with Jack and their much loved cats.  This was not to be, for Jack died suddenly just two years later.

Although Caroline has become somewhat of a recluse since her husband’s death, she needed to fill the huge void in her life resultant from his loss, so she has remained active.  She gives property advice; writes and publishes the occasional book; and runs the charity Feline Friends www.feline-friends.org.uk.  The establishment of the charity was a dream which Jack shared, and is one which she holds close to her heart.

Caroline still lives in the Derbyshire house which was their home together from 1988.  She shares it with her cats.

Mistoffel	Rumpel	Teazer
Skimbleshanks	Bustopher Jones