A Tribute to The Glenroyd Medical’s PPG Chairman
On the 30th August 2021, Thelma Clague, one of the founder members of your
Glenroyd Medical’s Patient Participation Group (PPG), and later Chairman; in her mid 80's,
she succumbed to the dreaded Covid -19 Pandemic; after nearly two weeks in hospital;
being fully vaccinated and months of isolation. She will be greatly missed.
Thelma will be remembered as a confident, warm, generous, intelligent, tough minded,
a fiercely independent person; involved and contributing her time and energy to a
range of organisations through out her life. She always enjoyed a good natured argument,
happy to hold her own even if she was in the minority, as was not infrequently the case,
with a keen interest in current affairs.
She suffered from Asthma all her life but never let it define her, dealing with problem after problem,
with determination, great self discipline and refusal to be beaten.
Hospitalized more that once, she always spoke highly of all her medical care.
Born and brought up in Blackpool and never worked outside Lancashire,
Thelma once described herself as a true “Sand Grown’un”
Educated at Elmslie School for Girls,in Blackpool, where she became Head Girl,
gaining sufficient ‘A’ Levels to be admitted to Sheffield University, an unusual ambition then,
- especially for a girl. There she threw herself into student life;
involved with the student magazine, and especially “Rag Week”
Thelma was told that she could not pursue her first career choice, of Social Work
because of her health. ‘How things have changed’ - so she joined the NHS firstly at
Blackburn Royal as a Junior Administrator, then later to Manchester Regional Hospital
Board as a Work Study Officer, her friendly repartee was developed there.
Her work took her all over Lancashire.
During an NHS re-organization Thelma happily, took the offer of early retirement.
At the turn of the Century, Thelma was asked to become a founder member of
your Glenroyd Medical's Patient Participation Group, becoming very involved in establishing this very new
organisation, serving for many years and later becoming our chairman.
Over the years she helped, with great kindness and practical support to several people
and organisations, including the W.I.
For over ten years, along with her oldest sister Joan; they would travel to visit their centenarian Aunt Nancy in the Isle of Man, a journey to and fro they got down to a fine art.
Together they enjoyed travelling, often on home exchanges, to Europe, Canada and the States.
Thelma leaves two sisters, Joan in London and Anne, a long time resident of California;
together with Anne’s daughter Sarah, who is also Thelma’s goddaughter,
Sarah's husband Robert and their daughter Charlotte, in San Francisco, USA.
Thelma had a great, sometimes irreverent, sense of humour, recalling a funeral she
attended of an elderly, rather idiosyncratic lady, who had given instructions that when
the congregation left the chapel it was to be to:- Gracie Fields singing :-
“Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye”
A way many of us will also love to remember our, much missed, friend and colleague
Th e l m a C l a g u e
