WHEN Enid Garrow was appointed as the first ever headteacher of Haltwhistle Infants School in the mid-1960s, she played an integral role in the distinctive design and layout of the building.

She spent 21 years at the helm at the school which later became Haltwhistle First School, was a renowned activist on educational matters, and also served as a parish councillor in Haydon Bridge.

Mrs Garrow, who had suffered from ailing health in recent years, died on October 30.

A funeral service at St Cuthbert’s Church in Haydon Bridge was packed with family, friends and former pupils.

It’s only five years ago that Mrs Garrow memorably walked a lap of Haydon Bridge United’s Low Hall Park ground with the assistance of two walking sticks, in aid of wounded military men and women.

Her son Ian Garrow, who has spent much of his own career in teaching, said: “She was a very determined woman, very confident, and she had a great deal of faith.

“She would stand up for what she believed in, whether that was doing her bit to support wounded soldiers during her latter years, or lobbying Parliament on an education matter. Mum was a big activist.”

Born in 1927 in Tyne and Wear, she went on to attend Whitelands College in London.

After starting her teaching career in Tyneside, she moved to the former Grindon School near Haydon Bridge.

The school catered for five to 14 year olds, and Mrs Garrow lived in a house at the site with her husband, Ian Munro Garrow, and family.

But the remote school, which was cut off from surrounding communities during the infamous snow storm of 1963, closed in the middle of the decade, before Mrs Garrow took over at the helm of Haltwhistle’s new school.

In 1976, she was awarded a scholarship to visit America, and spent six weeks visiting schools to gain new ideas from the USA’s education system.

Ian said: “When she was in the States, she visited the Grand Canyon, and her party walked along an illuminated pathway in the dark to a restaurant there.

“It wasn’t until returning in the daylight that they realised the drop on one side of the path, and the danger they had avoided.”

Mrs Garrow was a member of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), and served as president of its Northumberland branch.

She would often attend education meetings at County Hall, and even travelled to London.

Despite retiring from teaching in 1986, she remained a prominent community figure in Haydon Bridge, where she lived, and further afield.

A member of Haydon Parish Council and also the parochial church council, she was a founder member of the village’s Mothers’ Union, an organisation which rewarded her for 25 years’ service.

Mrs Garrow was an avid fund-raiser, supporting Haydon Old Church; St Cuthbert’s Millennium celebrations; and planted a tree with school children at the local cemetery.

She even found time to cook and deliver meals on wheels.

A keen supporter of Hexham General Hospital, Mrs Garrow worked in the hospital’s coffee shop and library service.

Her headline-hitting walk in 2010 raised £2,000 for Help for Heroes, despite Mrs Garrow suffering from severe arthritis.

In recent years, she became a popular resident at Lowgate Care Home, near Hexham. Ian praised the staff at the home for their support after his mother suffered from strokes in her latter years.