Pillar of Lancaster community passes away at age of 77

Chris Bebbington, originally from Shrewsbury, moved to Lancaster in 1972 when her husband Rob gained promotion through the Civil Service and relocated to work at Lancaster Castle prison.

The young mother fell in love with the city and the family settled in Bowerham.

Chris soon became embedded in the community, chairing Sulyard Street Playgroup and later becoming chair of Moorside Infants PTA.

Chris loved singing and joined Lancaster Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society, performing and choreographing productions during the Seventies and Eighties. An active committee member, she later did publicity for LADOS.

Chris was also very involved in social activities at Bowerham Tennis Club, where her husband still plays.

In the early eighties, she became a secretary at Bowerham Primary School and later worked for Lancashire County Council’s Education Department, becoming a senior member of a team which oversaw everything from pupil bus passes to headteacher recruitment.

Chris prided herself on maintaining strong links with local schools and this extended beyond the working relationship to arranging social events. She became a respected colleague and confidant for headteachers and school governors across north Lancashire.

Early retirement in 2000 gave Chris more time to spend with family, enjoy holidays and in 2005, begin a 15-year involvement with Barton Road Community Centre. She was soon elected to the management committee and later appointed honorary secretary.

Chris committed herself to the centre during uncertain times when the county council withdrew young people’s and community provision and she was instrumental in establishing the Barton Road Centre Charity, which is now responsible for the daily running of the centre.

Were it not for her determination to keep it going, the centre could have closed. The fact that it has been there providing help during the Covid-19 crisis and continues to attract people who wish to support the community is a tribute to Chris’s efforts.

Chris was a trustee of the charity and established the centre’s popular library. She enjoyed attending the soup and sandwich group, Art For Fun and lit up the front row of sopranos at the Barton Road Community Choir.

Chris was married for 55 years and died on June 7. She leaves her husband Rob and daughter Janine. Her son David died in 2013.

Her funeral takes place at Lancaster Crematorium on June 25. Donations in Chris’s memory can be made to Barton Road Centre Charity, Barton Road Centre, Lancaster, and online here