Linda Pibworth

40 over 40

40 over 40


Photographed in May 2026


It's not every day you get to feature your own mum in your project, but when the project is about inspiring women over the age of 40, why on earth wouldn't I?



Elderly woman with short gray hair, red glasses, and teal earrings wearing a white jacket against a light background.
Elegant senior woman in beige fur coat posing against pink background, wearing gold hoop earrings.

Let me tell you about her.


She met my dad at the age of 14 after pretending to faint in front of him to get his attention. They married when she was 21, by 24 she’d trained as a nurse and by 27 she’d had two babies.


One day she read an advert in the local paper asking people to consider fostering a child and of course she put her name down. Despite having two small babies of her own, over the next six years she cared for fourteen children. 

Elderly woman in beige fur coat and sunglasses standing against a sunlit wall with diagonal shadows.

My mum was the primary earner in our family, but despite the district nurses salary they towed our caravan to Spain and Portugal every year, saving every single penny in order to do so. Those were the best holidays I ever had. 


By the age of 48, five years younger than I am now, she’d lost her husband to cancer, a long and drawn out 5 years of nursing him whilst seeing my sister and I through university and basically holding the whole family together. 

Elegant senior woman with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a white lace top, resting her hands under her chin.
Elegant senior woman with short gray hair and glasses wearing a white lace top, posing thoughtfully at a table.
Elegant senior woman with short gray hair wearing a white lace top and gold hoop earrings, posing gracefully at a table.

Since he passed away she has made the most incredible life for herself. She has 3 grandsons who absolutely adore her, friends coming out of her ears, an active wine group despite not liking wine and volunteers at Riding for the Disabled. Of course she does.


My friends absolutely love her, she’s got a brilliant sense of humour and is actually quite the exhibitionist even though she may not admit it. She also does a blinding impression of a lawn mower going wrong. 


In terms of supporting my sister and I, it's impossible to know where to start. I've wanted to be a photographer for many years but it was only when I had my son in 2007 that my career break in radio gave me the time to try it out. My mum was the one who bought me my first set of lights and told me to give it a go. I haven't looked back and that's thanks to her believing in me when very often I don't believe in myself.

Older woman in blue floral jacket and jeans wearing blue sunglasses, posing confidently against a light gray wall.
Woman sitting in a modern gray chair in a photography studio with decorative backdrop and lighting equipment.
Elegant senior woman in fur coat and glasses with gold hoop earrings poses against pink background.

On her 80th birthday she decided to take a swim in the crazy waves in Norfolk and since then has been guiding my sister and I through some of the worst times in our lives.


She’s one in a million, my best friend and the best role model I could ever wish for.


Thank you for being in my 40 Over 40 project, Mum, and here’s to growing older as disgracefully as possible!

Elderly woman with glasses in green blazer and jeans seated in a teal chair against dark green curtains.

Don't forget to check out my podcast Dear Hormones if you fancy a bit of a laugh about all the things our hormones do to us.  'Blame it on the hormones' has become my new mantra!