Legacy of much-loved Blackpool teacher at Armfield Academy will live on in stunning memorial garden
“One day we will all be gone from Armfield but Pat will still be here with his garden.”
The legacy of a much-loved teacher at a Blackpool high school will live on through a stunning garden created in his memory.
Pupils and staff stood proudly in the school grounds today to honour Pat Burns, who tragically died last year at the age of just 38.
He was a much loved and respected lead student mentor at Armfield Academy where he enjoyed great rapport and respect from pupils and staff alike.
And so they decided to create a permanent reminder, a memory garden that will grow and mature through the years where people can remember him.
Josh Cawley, one of the school’s behaviour mentors said: “Pat was one of us, a team leader, life and soul of the party.
“He was a massive presence and we miss him. Even a year later the kids still talk about him, they still ask questions.”
The garden has a bench for quiet reflection, plants and planters with the letters of his surname to spell ‘Burns’ .”
“I think the garden is a lovely way to remember him,” said Josh.
“We spoke to his mum this morning and she loves it, she can’t wait to come down to see it.
“It just keeps his memory alive.
“One day we will all be gone from Armfield but Pat will still be here with his garden.”
Pat was a former paratrooper and wore a prosthetic leg. He died after succumbing to an infection in his leg.
On the day of his funeral, pupils lined the streets near the school to pay their respects as the cortege passed by.
After his death, a huge number of floral tributes were also placed on the school railings.
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In a newsletter on the Armfield Academy website, headteacher Mark Kilmurray said: “Pat made a difference, he really mattered to our students and they loved him for it.