Sheffield property boss Vicky has a positive key to success

Educated in a hospital bed and told she’d never achieve anything in life, her drive to carve out a successful career is soon to adorn the pages of a book – Property and the Power of Positivity.

She said: “There’s no doubt property was my saviour. But it didn’t come easy. In fact it was more luck than judgement that I ended up in the industry.

"But hey – you need a little luck in life and it didn’t take me long to realise the harder you work, the luckier you get!”

Vicky Keyworth grew up on a council estate in Gleadless and has gone on to become one of the most trusted names in the city’s property market.

She ended up launching Keyworth & Co estate agents with two offices and 10 staff.

One of her proudest achievements was launching and running Solutions For Homes.

The social housing organisation worked in partnership with the Archer Project to help rehouse the homeless.

These days she spends more of her time sourcing property for investors through her Letz Group.

The heyday of Sheffield’s working men’s clubs

I was an inadvertent visitor from a very early age. I bet there are very few I didn’t spend time in through the boom years of the late 1960s and 1970s.

My mum was a very popular club singer – she even used to accompany Tony Christie on occasions - and I’d be with her for the majority of her shows from the age of three. She used to sing with the Jack Hartley Road Show. And no, I didn’t inherit her voice!

ABC matinees

I was an ABC Minor – were you? I loved the Saturday morning matinees and being part of this club. Do you remember it? It was the highlight of the week for me!

Corona Chronicles: Born Free to Groundhog Day

Sheffield Children’s Hospital

This might seem an unusual ‘favourite thing’ but it was a big fixture in my life from an early age. I was plagued by ill health at school and missed great swathes of my education. I’d got rheumatoid arthritis and a heart murmur. I was continually having time off and extended hospital stays. I remember Christmas time in the kitchen at the Children’s Hospital stirring and helping with the Christmas puddings and listening to local radio. I spent a lot of my school days in a hospital bed learning. Sheffield Children’s Hospital continues to be an amazing institution – they played a big and a very positive part in my life.

Lipton’s Supermarket, Stocksbridge

I had the dubious honour of being told I’d never make anything of my life on leaving school. I got the first job I could – I’d got no thoughts of any kind of career at that point. My first position was stacking shelves at Lipton’s supermarket in 1976. I was the Saturday girl. I have lots of fun memories from that period!

Cutlers Arms, Gleadless

When I wasn’t in the Working Men’s Clubs I was in the pub! Mum and dad owned one back in the day. They did their training at the Cutlers Arms in Gleadless before going on to run their own pub, the Local Inn in the Mansfield area.

My favourite part was the off licence as it used to sell pop and sweets on a Saturday morning. I’d often help out with my brother. There was also a first aid class that used to be run out of the pub that we used to attend. We picked up quite a mix of skills!

Gleadless

This area holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I grew up. I attended Herdings School and my auntie, Pauline, used to run the local hairdressers.

Tiffany’s

These days it’s Budgen’s supermarket but I remember it as Tiffany’s nightclub in the London Road area in the 1970s. It’s where I met my husband. In that period you’d also find me at the Crazy Daizy, the Wapentake or maybe the Stonehouse.

The Summerhouse and Brocco On The Park

These days I’m rather more partial to a quality restaurant and wine bar rather than a working men’s club – sorry mum! These are two of my favourites. Wow I can’t wait for them to reopen!