In May 2021 we sadly lost Dr Cheryl Simmill-Binning a loving mother, grandmother, friend and colleague. As you know, Cheryl was a very warm and caring person and when deciding how best to honour her memory we thought the best memorial would be something practical that would benefit those whom Cheryl had so much time and compassion for – children. To Cheryl’s grandchildren she was known as “Grandma Owl” which was very apt as Cheryl was very wise and thoughtful. Her association with the Pre-School goes back to the late 1980’s when Cheryl ’s daughter, Becky, attended the Centre.

Combining this with Cheryl’s love of gardening and the outdoors we are working with Lancaster University Pre-School Centre to provide an outdoor dining set so the hundreds of children who attend the Pre-School can enjoy eating outdoors, in their amazing outdoor spaces. The children benefit enormously from outdoor play and providing this equipment will mean this time can be further extended and enhanced by providing opportunities for social interaction at snack and mealtimes.

We will be looking to commemorate the furniture with an owl plaque so that in years to come the children can say they ate at Cheryl’s table! We think that this would be in fitting with Cheryl’s values and wishes and a lovely way to remember an amazing lady.