Lynn Faulds Wood, the fearless defender of consumer rights on UK television, has died of a stroke aged 72. She started on Nationwide, became the face of Watchdog and exposed crooks, conmen and rogue businesses. She was once attacked with an axe and almost killed by the owner of a fleet of illegal lorries, and was advised by police to wear a stab vest. After exposing dangerous design flaws in household appliances, she moved on to focus attention on cancer symptoms and failures in medical care. She herself overcame bowel cancer in the 1990s and a later episode of skin cancer. Many of her campaigns led to changes in the law, business and medical practices.
She was born 25 March 1948 6.10pm Glasgow, Scotland, moved to London and met her husband John Stapleton, another TV reporter, in the early 1970s and married him.
She had a pro-active Aries Sun in her sociable 7th house opposing Moon Neptune in Libra in her 1st; with a formidably strong Pluto Saturn Mars in Leo square her Venus in steady Taurus. She wouldn’t be short of courage or endurance. She had an insightful and maverick Uranus in her career 10th conjunct her Midheaven opposition a happy-at-home Jupiter in the 4th. Her Jupiter was also in an expansive square to her Sun.
Her Mercury in helpful Pisces in the 6th house of work and health is curiously unaspected. This can provide problems but can also lend a single-minded approach to interests with less of a tendency to become distracted or scattered.
At the moment her Moon Neptune had moved by Solar Arc to oppose her Uranus which can be nerve-stretched. Uranus Neptune is associated by Ebertin with ‘apoplexy of the brain’ which is a stroke.
Her husband John Stapleton, 24 February 1946 11 pm, Oldham England, is a charming Sun Venus in Pisces with a Sagittarius Moon.
Marjorie, I remember her well, she was straightforward, passionate and real….I can even hear her voice. She had a full life, greatly lived, God bless.