KINDERGARTEN: A big thank you to Miss Lilley

I SHOULD like to thank everyone who replied to my previous letter about Miss Lilley's Kindergarten.

Miss Muriel Eva Lilley celebrated her 100th birthday at the beginning of this year. She received congratulations from the Queen and a few friends and former pupils met to mark the occasion.

Miss Lilley has always led a very active and vivacious life although lately due to her great age she prefers to be quieter. She opened her first Kindergarten in 1931 which was held in a brick built room at the bottom of a garden in Clarkson Avenue.

She was a great believer in introducing children to reading by the phonic method before going on to whole word recognition. I received several letters which applauded these old fashioned methods.

During the war years Miss Lilley and her pupils had to adapt to the threat of air attack. Internal shutters were added to the windows of the brick school room to hide the light from the building. The children practiced putting on their gas masks and then they marched around the room to the strains of "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" playing on a small wind-up gramophone.

By the sixties Miss Lilley's Kindergarten had moved to larger premises in the Rectory Flat in Walsoken.

In 1964 Miss Lilley had a brick classroom built in her own garden in Lynn Road. Her friendly dogs Trudie and Tramp would visit the children in the classroom. Miss Lilley held the Kindergarten there until her retirement in 1996.

Miss Lilley has always been full of enthusiasm for life. She also gave many years service to the St John's Ambulance Brigade. Her pupils entered many walks of life. Some went on to become university graduates in places such as Cambridge and Warwick. Others emigrated and some are still working in Wisbech. What a wonderful start in life she gave us!

If any one wishes to write to me concerning this my address is -

CATHERINE MOTTRAM (B ED HONOURS)

15 Wigsley Close

Doddington Park

Lincoln

LN6 3LD