PIONEER: Joan Atkinson, former headteacher at Bowness Primary School and Eatock Primary School.
MANY of us can pass through life without making much of a mark on it.
Then there are those whose existence influences hundreds of other lives for the good. Such a woman was obviously Joan Atkinson.
She was a pioneering head-teacher of primary schools in Little Lever and Westhoughton who has passed away at the age of 80.
An imposing yet warm woman, this grandmother and great-grandmother is remembered by many for her dedication and forward-thinking views. Even in retirement, she worked in education in India.
Plainly, Joan Atkinson touched many lives positively – a remarkable legacy for a remarkable woman.
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