A SCHOOL’S condemned nature trail is to be replaced thanks to a generous donation in memory of a former pupil who attended almost 100 years ago.

Thomas Neesham, who died five years ago aged 96, was a star pupil at Stanhope Barrington Church of England Primary School in Weardale when he attended in the 1920s. He often spoke fondly of his time there, and last month his widow, Loraine Neesham, came across two hardback novels which were awarded to her husband by his headteacher Chas Bolam in 1927. One book was awarded for hard work and diligence; the other, a Tale of Two Cities, was for being the politest boy at school.

Mrs Neesham, who lives in Manchester, contacted the school to ask if they would like the books but her generosity did not stop there. She also expressed a desire to donate £1,500 in her husband’s memory for a project that benefits the children.

Headteacher Shaun Myers and his team were overwhelmed by her kind offer, the timing of which was especially apt as the school’s early years’ nature trail had just been condemned and demolished for safety reasons.

The money will be used to replace the trail, which will be named the Neesham Trail in memory of Mr Neesham.

Last week, Mr Myers and his wife visited Mrs Neesham to say thank you in person and to give her some flowers and letters from the children.

He said: “We are so grateful as budgets are so tight at schools these days. It’s a lovely feeling to know Stanhope Barrington still meant so much to someone after almost 100 years.”

Mrs Neesham, 78, said: “It’s nice to give something back and I know Tom would have loved it as he loved Bishop Auckland and Weardale. “He was such a kind man and very intelligent. We were married for 48 years and I always say my education began when I met him because he taught me so much.

“It was the same with all of our nieces and nephews. He was always testing them on their times tables and helping them with their reading.”

Mr Neesham, the son of a butcher, grew up in Bishop Auckland but the family moved to Manchester during the depression in the 1930s to find work. As a teenager, Mr Neesham passed the entry exams to Cambridge but sadly he could not afford to go. He went on to work for Colgate-Palmolive followed by Salford University.