A dedicated Ravensthorpe ‘dinner lady’ will be presented with a British Empire Medal this spring after serving the local primary school for over 43 years.
Mrs Gaynor Clegg, who will turn 76 this year, was nominated for the award in recognition of her services to education at Ravensthorpe Junior School and was announced as the winner of the award on the Queen’s New Year’s honours list.
Image on the left taken from the Huddersfield Examiner.
Mrs Clegg says, “I love my job and the children.
“I was delighted to hear about the British Empire Medal which I will be presented with by the Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire in the spring.”
The mother of three is the senior lunchtime supervisor at the school where she has worked since 1972.
She is still working five days a week and is now looking after some of the children of those she supervised when she started her work.
Mrs Clegg says, “The feedback I’ve had from old pupils and retired staff has been fantastic!
“The messages from my old pupils were the best!
“Ravensthorpe is only a small village and I am still receiving congratulations and handshakes – it has been amazing.”
Mrs Clegg also raises money for the school’s funds and has raised £23,000 during her time at Ravensthorpe Junior School, mainly through running a healthy tuck shop where everything costs less than 30p.
Her husband, a retired electrician, also works at the school on a voluntary basis and her three children attended when they were younger.
Mrs Clegg says, “Our two sons are now headmasters and our daughter is a staff nurse at the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield.”
Now with eight grandchildren and three great-granddaughters, Gaynor Clegg shows no signs of slowing down.
“I should have retired years ago,” she said. “No chance!”