Description: Looking West. Shows former Convent of Maternal Heart (nursing Sisters) 'Little Company of Mary' founded by Mary Potter. In 1877, Nottingham was a bustling industrial town. In the courts and tenenments of the city and within its outlying suburbs, workers struggled with the difficulties of 19th century life. Mary Potter had a vision of a religious order which would both pray for and care for the needs of the sick and the dying. Mary began her community in a disused stocking factory in the suburb of Hyson Green. From its early beginnings in the stocking factory, Mary Potter's community expanded rapidly, and in 1882, she went to Rome. There she remained until her death in 1913, and in 1999, Mary Potter's body was returned to the Cathedral in Nottingham. From 1877 to the present day, there has been an unbroken service given to the community and her sisters still minister to the people of Nottingham. In 1970 a community Health Centre was established in Hyson Green, known simply as the Mary Potter Centre. Mary Potter's vision was one of unity. She believed that the world could be knit together by the promotion of the Gospel values of faith, hope and love. She also believed that we could learn the way of Jesus by following the way of Mary, and was an unabashed promoter of a Marian spirituality.