Mary bids farewell

PRE-school teacher Mary Hassell bid farewell to her 32-year career saying she would not have changed a single day.

The retiring grandmother said she had thoroughly enjoyed her three decades-plus as a teacher at Chadderton’s Firwood Manor, formerly Norman House prep school.

And she was bowled over when around 100 children and adults she has taught over the years threw a surprise retirement party for her at the weekend.

Mrs Hassell (63) said: “I didn’t have an inkling about it until I walked into that room, and I have no idea how they managed to do it without me suspecting.

“I thought I was going out for a meal with my family, and it was lovely to see all their faces.

“It was very emotional and it took me a good five minutes to take it all in.”

There were two generations of Mrs Hassell’s pupils at the party, and she explained: “Seeing children I taught grow up to have children of their own and bringing them back for me to teach has been one of my great pleasures.

“Children are my life and I have been so happy doing the job I have been doing, I would never have wanted to do anything else. The children, their parents and my colleagues have been like one big happy family and it has been a wonderful, wonderful job.”

Mrs Hassell and her husband, Brian, intend to spend much of their time exploring the world.

“I love travelling, and have been to many places including Brazil, China and Barbados, but now I will be able to go for longer and outside school holidays,” she said.

The couple, who have two sons and five grand-daughters, are planning a month-long celebration cruise around America and the Caribbean islands next year.

“I will miss teaching very much, but it was the right time to go and I am so looking forward to retirement,” said Mrs Hassell.”

The sprightly pensioner has joined a gym and took some golf lessons in readiness for her impending retirement.

“It’s going to be difficult fitting everything in,” she laughed. “I don’t know how I ever found the time to work.”