Lisa Allan is switching classrooms for rooftops with ‘She and He Sweeps’, the business she has set up with her partner, Robert Johnson.
Lisa, from Ingleton, has been an early years and Spanish teacher for 25 years at Austwick CofE Primary School, while Rob has worked in hospitality and charities, and will divide his time between gardening and sweeping chimneys.
“At first glance, I’ll admit that moving from teaching into chimney sweeping seems like a strange move, and it certainly seems to have befuddled friends and colleagues alike, ” said Lisa, who finished at the school at the end of the summer term.
“But on closer inspection, chimney sweeping is really about serving and helping the community and keeping people safe, and these are all skills that I have learnt from my career in education.”
She added: “I also feel that it is important that women are represented and seen to be working in roles that were previously male-dominated.”
Lisa added that she really enjoyed meeting different people and the variety of jobs and locations she encountered every day as a sweep.
“What is surprising to know about being a chimney sweep is that it may even involve an element of animal rescue,” she said.
“We once did a sweep and at the end took the stove sheet down to reveal a live and very disgruntled sparrow that had somehow endured the entire sweep process. Luckily we managed to grab it and set it free, channelling our inner James Herriot perhaps.”
Lisa and Rob are both National Association of Chimney Sweeps trained and DBS cleared.
Lisa added: “We feel very lucky to be able to work in such a beautiful area. We sometimes feel that perhaps the role of the chimney sweep is similar to that of a post person, serving the community and having a friendly chat can go a long way.”
Find out more at: https://www.she-he-sweeps.co.uk/