My mother, Freda Cheetham, who has died aged 93, was an English teacher at Longdendale secondary school in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, where she gained a reputation for inspiring “difficult to engage” pupils.
In her later years, before retirement in 1982, she specialised at Longdendale in helping children with special needs.
Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, Freda was the daughter of Fred Kenworthy, a cotton spinner, and Annie (nee Jones). After enjoying her time at Ashton grammar school she left at 16 to become a trainee journalist on the Ashton-under-Lyne Reporter in 1948, before moving to London to work on various trade journals.
She later gave up her career in journalism to return north and do a teacher training course at Alsager College in Cheshire. In 1957 she married Leslie Cheetham, a tenant farmer in Mottram-in-Longdendale, and taught for 25 years at Longdendale secondary school until her retirement.
In addition to teaching, from the 1970s Freda managed a horse business at the farm in Mottram, which was constantly under threat from their landlords trying to sell the land for development. She fought off several notices to quit, but her home remained insecure until the farm could eventually be bought. It is still run by family members today.
After her retirement, Freda was a governor at Arundale primary in Mottram and an active member of the Stalybridge and Hyde Labour party. She raised funds for the Yorkshire miners during the 1984-85 strike and, having been on some of the first anti-nuclear demonstrations in the 50s, also protested at Greenham Common, Berkshire.
In her spare time as a younger woman, Freda had been a keen rock climber and was proud to have gone on expeditions with the celebrated mountaineer Don Whillans. She was also a keen traveller and spoke fluent French.
Leslie died in 1996. Freda is survived by her children, Lesley and me, her five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
