News of the passing of our Former Headmistress, Diana Skilbeck

Our former headmistress, Diana (Di) Skilbeck sadly passed away on Saturday 4th March. Di served our school from 1983 to 1989. She dedicated herself to the education and wellbeing of our students and her invaluable contributions to our school and the community will not be forgotten.

Under her leadership, Di oversaw a large increase in the number of Junior School pupils. Her original junior training was often reflected in her interest in the work and extracurricular activities that took place in the Junior School. Further to this, Home Economics was introduced during her time as Headmistress and new sixth form facilities were provided on Clarkehouse Road.

Di went on to be Headmistress of The Queen’s School, Chester from 1989 until her retirement in 2001. Di also dedicated more than four decades of her life to the restoration of buildings and boats at Ellesmere Port. She was a founder member of the group of volunteers who began the boat museum at Ellesmere Port in the 1970s.

Di was made President of the Boat Museum Society in 1995 and was awarded an MBE in 2012 for her services to heritage and education. In 2015 she was awarded an honorary Masters of Art degree from the University of Chester for her outstanding contribution to education.

We know that many of you will remember Di, and we encourage you to take the time to reflect on the positive memories and the impact that Di had on our school. Our thoughts and condolences go out to her family and friends during this difficult time.

Arrangements for marking Di’s life are underway and should you wish to be kept informed, please get in touch with Ros Owen (r.owen@she.gdst.net) who will be able to share further information in due course.