Personality Profile: Ana Dobeson
Born in Bilbao (N. Spain), the fourth of seven children to an English father (born in Southsea) and a mother from Madrid, respectively of English/Irish and Castilian/Catalan descent, Ana rightly thinks of herself as ‘a Catholic cocktail … such a mixed ancestry’.
It is 21 years since Ana first came to Portsmouth, the town from which her paternal grandfather had sailed with HMS Hood on its fateful journey in 1941. Ana had come with her erstwhile boyfriend, Tom - they had met in 1985 in London through their interest in scouting - to visit Tom’s sister in the maternity wing of St Mary’s. As Ana puts it: ‘Tom and I, as Mr and Mrs Dobeson, were to get to know that maternity wing quite well!’.
‘I now have a home with five men to look after,’ explains Ana. ‘There’s Tom and our four sons: Daniel (15), Andrew (10), Thomas (7) and James (coming up to 1) who, we hope, might one day learn to sleep!’.
Although she teaches Spanish, it’s IT which now takes up most of Ana’s working life: not only does she teach at the University but she currently maintains the Diocesan website. Website design is a particular forte of Ana’s and one which she offers professionally to business and individuals.
Apart from involvement with the First Communion programme and being a Foundation Governor at St John’s primary school, for which she designed and maintains the website, Ana is member of the Cathedral’s Communications Working Party. It is in this capacity that she has also designed and maintains the Cathedral’s website.