From her colleagues …

Eve was one of Maggie’s fellow Education Centre Managers (of 7 in the county)

The woman whom Peter has described is the Margaret I came to know, respect and admire – she was unconditionally supportive.

She joined EOTAS in May 1999, and was uniquely placed to begin the work of building a new service in  Area 5 –  establishing systems, tracking down records, deciding on appropriate procedures, appealed to her meticulous approach and her love of building to last. To this task she brought the deeply held belief that through education young people could begin to understand their problems and look for ways to sort them out

Her analytical, cerebral approach would have been the envy of many a legal mind – as Peter said, woe betide you if you could not justify what you said or did.   But, no matter how hard she made you wriggle, you always forgave her because she was the first to support those who struggled to achieve the high standards she set for them.

However, she gave short shrift to those whom she considered lazy and uninterested, those whom she saw as time servers.

Margaret could always be relied on to follow through her undertakings.  In the interest of children, she would harness anyone and everyone, including her husband, who was called upon not only to build and maintain a data base but also to perform the task which he most disliked. Margaret always said that Peter would do anything to avoid decorating but when it was for the children, she even managed to rope him in to decorating the awful buildings that were to become The Bridge.

One of her most tangible legacies, in that it will be able to be seen and felt, will be a building other than her home; Margaret was heavily involved in the planning of the new Bridge Education Centre, bringing to those plans that early commitment to expand provision for vulnerable pupils.

Her eloquent calls for their better treatment have been heard in many quarters, and will result in a building which will bear testimony to her profound belief , that with a little help, at the right time, that people can and will redeem themselves.

Over the last two weeks I have spoken to many of Margaret’s colleagues all of whom have fond memories of a strong woman who was passionate about her job and who had the courage to fight for what she believed even if it meant that life became difficult for her.  She enjoyed a challenge and was driven by a keenly developed sense of fairness.

Above all, she enjoyed life. This enjoyment was sharpened by a mischievous sense of humour which enabled her to see the ludicrous side of situations and reinterpret them for the amusement of others!

One colleague summed her up as warm and helpful and that is how I will best remember her– to me, she gave unstintingly of her knowledge, time and support.  I was one of the many who benefited from her generosity.

and Linda was another …

As I remember Margaret I remember a strong woman who was passionate about what she did. Margaret had great courage and was one of the few people who was unafraid to stand up and be counted even if that meant difficulty for her. She had a keen sense of what was right and wrong and was ready to work hard to ensure that there was justice for all with whom she came into contact. As a colleague, she was warm and helpful and her bright mind was always an asset in any situation. I will miss her very much indeed.