Jill Marriott was a young woman who worked as a labourer for Fairclough and Langton for one day in 1976. Jill's dad was a bookie's clerk. Her interest in joinery was sparked by her uncle Ted Parker, at whose Balaclava Street workshop Jill spent many an hour when she was growing up. Her brother owned a joiner set, which she borrowed to work on her own projects. Setting her heart on an apprenticeship, after leaving school with five O-Levels Jill applied for work with various contractors. As it was a male-dominated profession, Jill signed her applications "J Marriott" and let employers think she was a man until they met her.