Last summer we lost a much-loved member of our Greatstone family when Darren Sharp very sadly lost his brave battle with cancer.

Darren was so much more than the Estate Manager; he was our superhero in green overalls! He had not only worked at the school for over 26 years, but he also attended the school as a pupil. Greatstone School had a special place in his heart, he took great pride in everything he did to keep it looking its best, no matter how big or small the job. He was also very creative, there is nothing he couldn't make from sheets of polystyrene! Anyone who has been to a school performance over the past 10 years would have been amazed by his handiwork. Whether it was a life size model of Henry VIII, the Christmas Grotto where Father Christmas would sit and hand out presents to the students or a full-size replica of The Tardis doors (which he later moved to his workshop so he could enter and exit his office through them!)

Darren had a kind and generous soul with a cheeky sense of humour. He also had a special talent for magic and would love to bamboozle both the staff and children with his tricks. He even ran an after-school club where he taught the children magic tricks which they then performed to the rest of the school in Assembly.

Darren’s loss has been felt throughout the school by both the staff and children and we want to have a lasting memorial to our beloved colleague and friend. The big passion in his life (other than his loving family) was Dr Who, it was something we shared, although I am quite new to “The Whoniverse". We would spend ages talking about the different Doctors and he was always happy to answer my many questions! As you know “The Doctor" never travels alone and always has at least one companion. So, I came up with the idea of having a “Companion Bench" placed in the playground. It would be somewhere where the children (and staff) could sit, and everyone would know that they need someone to talk to or play with.... A Companion! We have found a bench that is “Tardis" blue and it would be engraved on the back, so it would stand out from the other benches. Ideally, we would like to put one in each playground. (1 in Nursery 1 in Infant and 1 in Junior)

We have spoken to Darren's family; they love the idea and know he would love it too. During the current pandemic, our lives have changed so dramatically. We feel that these benches could play an important part in strengthening the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our Greatstone family and would be the perfect memorial to an incredibly special person.

So, with the help of Greatstone School PTA, we would appreciate your help in raising funds to make this happen.

• Greatstone School PTA will not benefit from these funds. All money raised will go towards Darren’s Memorial.