By Princess Eugene Majuru
Leicester, United Kingdom ( News of The South A Leicester woman who began her NHS career mopping floors and cleaning wards has risen to join the elite of the nursing profession.
Pretty Manyimo, who first worked as a hospital cleaner at Glenfield Hospital after moving to the UK, has now been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse—an honour reserved for community nurses who demonstrate the highest standards of excellence, leadership and commitment to patient care.
Her remarkable journey is one defined by determination, resilience and an unshakeable belief in the power of dreams.
“The sky is the limit if you follow your dreams,” Pretty said. “With determination, perseverance and resilience you can achieve anything.”
Pretty, now aged 61, grew up in an extended family in Zimbabwe where, as the eldest child, caring for others was part of everyday life. Before emigrating, she worked as a primary school teacher, but on arriving in the UK she found herself starting again at the very bottom of the career ladder.
“My first job was a cleaner at Glenfield Hospital,” she said. “My relationship with colleagues motivated me that I could become a nurse. I learned from them—how they communicated with patients with empathy and care. I wanted to be like them.”
Inspired by what she saw on the wards, Pretty pursued her ambition and qualified as a nurse in 2012. A year later, she joined Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) as a community nurse, where her passion for caring beyond hospital walls quickly became clear.
She later specialised in end of life care, motivated by the poor experience her own mother had received. Today, Pretty works within the Integrated Specialist Palliative Care Team, a joint initiative between LPT and LOROS Hospice, supporting patients and families during the most sensitive stages of life.
Alongside her clinical work, Pretty has taken on research roles aimed at improving end of life care for marginalised groups, including people with disabilities and ethnic minority communities. Her work has been published in international academic journals, and she is currently studying towards a PhD.
Last year, she applied to become a Queen’s Nurse, a title awarded by The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing to recognise long-standing commitment and leadership in community nursing.
“It is a great honour and a source of great pride and professional recognition to be awarded the Queen’s Nurse title,” she said. “I was chuffed I was successful.”
Pretty says working in the community has been deeply rewarding.
“Working in people’s homes, you get to know who they really are,” she explained.
She now hopes to use her membership of the institute to connect with other senior nursing leaders, sharing best practice and bringing innovative ideas back to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Outside of work, Pretty lives in Leicester, is an active member of her church, regularly takes part in sponsored walks for medical charities, and took up swimming when she turned 60—yet another example of her belief that it is never too late to begin something new.
From cleaner to Queen’s Nurse, Pretty Manyimo’s story stands as a powerful reminder that ambition, compassion and perseverance can transform not only a career, but countless lives along the way.
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