Looking back through different eyes at Coppull Parish School

As the longest-serving member of the governing body, her association with the Chorley village school officially started when her daughter moved to the school in the 1960s.

However, she has been a member of the parish church since she moved to the former mining town in 1953 after her marriage.

She used to be a team reader and has been a Sunday school teacher all her life.

The mum got involved with the school when her daughter, now aged 55, became a pupil.

She became a governor in 1990.

Back then the school was on a split site and, Marjorie says: “It needed an awful lot of repairs and they wanted to get it all on the one site.

“It was 1995 when the new block opened and I was vice-chairman of the governors at the time and chairman of the buildings committee.”

Marjorie spent a lot of time working, along with the rest of the team, with the architects.

Over the years, she has played a pivotal role in school life and still enjoys doing so.

She says: “The role of a school governor has changed over the years.

“There are more government regulations now than there ever was but we have much more of an input.

“When I started there was very little money in education and we did what we could afford and what we see in school now is a complete contrast to 30 years ago.

“Things have got better. I remember when there were 40 plus children in the reception class and just one nursery nurse half a day a week. Nowadays there are smaller class sizes and more support.”

Marjorie, who started 1st Coppull Guide Company, in 1964, played a big role in the school’s recent 200th anniversary celebrations and was one of the numerous guests invited to share her memories at a special party.