Marleigh & Me

My name is Hilary Bannerman and I began working at the new community of Marleigh, in Cambridge, in December 2021. 

I left a 24-year professional career to join the Land Trust, a charity based near where I grew up, in Warrington, Cheshire. My job title was Estate and Facilities Officer.   

My responsibilities included managing the community centre and overseeing the maintenance and animation of the outdoor spaces. I carried out these duties to an award-winning standard, committed to supporting a community designed to help people thrive in nature. The role suited me well, and for two years I was genuinely happy and deeply connected to the community. 

I worked alone at Marleigh as the on-site representative of the Land Trust's client, the Marleigh Estate Management Company (MEMCL)  MEMCL is overseen by senior executives from the housebuilder Hill and the landowner Marshall. 

However, over time, issues began to mount. As I worked to resolve them, it became clear that although roles and responsibilities were clearly defined in the contract, my employer had not fully understood or implemented them, leading to an increasingly dissatisfied client and heightened concerns about the safety and effectiveness of site operations for both me and the community.

Losing all connection to Marleigh has been incredibly painful, but stepping away has been necessary for the community to move on.

Seeking accountability has come at a significant personal cost.

Before I arrived in Marleigh my health was excellent. However, my health declined sharply after I caught a pernicious strain of Covid while working at Marleigh in the run-up to Christmas 2022. Throughout 2023, post-viral fatigue floored me, but I remained positive and continued working.

Long-Covid investigations led my GP to refer me for an ADHD assessment because the idea was that stimulant medication might lift my fatigue. In my ADHD assessment it was suggested that I might also benefit from an autism assessment. On reflection, I have traits of high functioning low support needs autism i.e. a heightened awareness of risk, strong empathy, an uncanny ability to spot irregularities, and a deep commitment to both social and environmental justice and due process. However, I had no need for a formal diagnosis, because diagnosis would not relieve my symptoms.

I was formally diagnosed with ADHD in June 2023. Medication reduced my fatigue. Once I had a stable supply of medication, my energy returned and I felt well again. Sadly, my good health lasted only the first three weeks of January 2024. 

On 18 January 2024, I found myself single-handedly coordinating a week-long humanitarian response to a water contamination incident affecting around 1,000 people. Afterwards, exhausted and traumatised, I asked that lessons be learned, but my concerns were ignored. I was left unable to move forward, still trying to understand what had happened, and that remains the case today.

During half-term in February 2024, on the first day of a week’s leave, I was called into work to meet with my senior manager and was told to go home indefinitely. In March, I was formally suspended. After my suspension, the Land Trust sought confirmation of my medical issues, and funded an autism assessment which confirmed a diagnosis of ASD in May 2024. In July 2024, I was dismissed for three counts of gross misconduct, which I dispute.

I have been unable to work since and have been forced to seek legal redress. 

The multi-layered trauma and distress have had a profoundly damaging impact on my health:

• In September 2024, two days before representing myself at the first Employment Tribunal hearing, I attended A&E with shortness of breath. My symptoms flare when I am emotionally distressed. My lung capacity was considered normal and I was told it was porbably anxiety-related.
• In February 2025, I underwent a hysterectomy, to see if it might help me, and, unexpectedly, my breathing improved.
• Since Covid, my symptoms flared up and featured: numbess and weakness in my right arm and leg, front right-sided headaches, and reduced vision in my right eye. After MRIs on both my brain and lower spine came back clear, my neurologist was persuaded to do a third MRI of my lumbar and thoracic spine. In July 2025, this third MRI revealed a lesion in my upper right lung. Blood tests were clear but following further scans, I was admitted to the Royal Papworth Hospital in November 2025 to part of my right lung removed. 
• In January 2026, it was confirmed that it had been lung cancer - it had not spread, so it's removal was my cure, and I just need regular check ups. As a non-smoker, the doctor said it was likely caused by passive smoking - which is remarkable as the only smokers I have been amongst date back to my school days. I am healing slowly, but the best news is that my right-sided symptoms have gone.