Siw Thomas, who has died from cancer aged 63, was a teacher, potter and mountain leader. A multi-talented and restless figure, unconventional and suspicious of authority, she was the natural ally of young people. Her energy and imagination inspired those around her.
In her 30 years at Central Foundation girls’ school in Tower Hamlets, east London, teaching art, and design and technology, Siw inspired generations of students to make and do – in activities ranging from cycle training to building canoes.
