Tributes paid to a beloved teacher and charity champ
TRIBUTES have been paid to a beloved teacher who has passed away after a lifetime of service to his community.
Brian Bennion passed away aged 81 after a period of deteriorating health.
For decades he had held prominent roles in the school community of Heywood’s Holy Family R.C. & CofE College, formerly St. Joseph’s R.C. High School, serving as a science teacher and governor.
He was also a dedicated fundraiser for CAFOD (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development), raising more than £45,000 over 43 years, and was recognised for his efforts with the highest honour that can be given by the Pope and a nomination for a Pride of Britain Award.
Melody McGrath, a close friend of Brian’s and the executor of his will, said: “He made such an impact on the school - everyone is devastated. He was so committed - he couldn’t go anywhere without someone saying, ‘hello Mr Bennion!’”
Holy Family headteacher Karen Ames said Brian had been an ‘integral part’ of the school community for more than 50 years, who was ‘well liked and respected’ in his role as Head of Science.
Mrs Ames said: “Brian felt it was important that there were strong links between the students of Heywood and those less fortunate across the world. He founded the Cafod group at school in 1976 and they began to collect.
“Since retirement, he would regularly come into school to share with students how their fundraising was making a difference.
“He gave his time freely each day to collect, sometimes coming up to school three times during the day to chat with students and encourage them to support the fundraising efforts.
“Brian would remind students that even a penny made a difference. With Brian’s help, the students have raised over £40,000.
“We are a richer school community for the support and love that Brian has shown to the staff and students of Holy Family College over the many years. Brian has been a real inspiration to generations of staff and students throughout Heywood and the wider world.
“He will be greatly missed but his legacy will be the ongoing charitable work that we continue to undertake to support Cafod, Christian Aid and the developing world.”
Tributes shared online from former Holy Family and St Joseph’s pupils described him as ‘a lovely gentle man’ and ‘fantastic teacher’ who always had a smile on his face, who was ‘an advocate for being a Christian.’
Brian was a close family friend of Melody and her husband John for almost 50 years, and was their son Matthew’s godfather. Melody added: “He was family to us. He came to Matthew’s wedding in Majorca, he came to baptisms, he came to everything.
“John started as a teacher at the school in 1974 and Brian really took him under his wing - he called him ‘young John.’” Brian was born in 1939 on Wilton Grove and later moved with his parents Nora and William and brother Maurice to another house on the street, number 63, where he stayed all his life.
He was himself a pupil at St Joseph’s R.C. High School, as it was then known, and after completing his teacher training returned to the school as a science teacher.
Although Brian retired as a teacher in 1992, he stayed on as a school governor, and Melody says he was in school almost every day, working with pupils from the group that became fondly known as ‘Mr Bennion’s CAFOD group.’
Ten years ago he visited St John’s Parish in Yola, Nigeria, which is a twin parish of Our Lady and St Joseph’s in Heywood, to see for himself one of the communities helped by the money he had helped raise.
After his visit, he campaigned at Holy Family to raise £600 to buy benches and desks for Yola’s village school - where pupils had previously had to learn sitting on the ground.
Following another visit to Tirana, Albania, he returned to his parish to appeal for their support for the antitrafficking work he had witnessed on his trip.
Brian travelled frequently throughout his life, visiting countries all over Europe and Asia.
Described as highly dedicated to his faith, he took a pilgrimage to the shrine at Lourdes in France every year - although it was during his visit there two years ago that he suffered a fall from which Melody says he never fully recovered.
His achievements were recognised in December 2019 when he was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (‘For Church and Pope’) medal by Pope Francis - the highest honour that can be awarded to a non-clergy member of the Catholic faith.
In September of last year he was also shortlisted for Granada Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain awards after more than 40 years of fundraising.
In an ITV Granada report marking his nomination, current Holy Family pupils described him as ‘selfless’ and a ‘legend,’ and remarked that ‘every school needs a Mr Bennion.’
Despite all the praise and recognition he received for his work, Melody says Brian remained ‘extremely humble.’ She said: “He always said ‘this is just what I do.’ That was Brian.”
His funeral was held on Wednesday, July 8 at St Joseph’s RC Church, where he worshipped, in the attendance of a small group of family and friends, as well as representatives of his CAFOD fundraising group from Holy Family. Those who wished to pay their respects to Brian were invited to attend an outdoor service at Heywood Cemetery at 2pm on the same day.
Donations to a dedicated CAFOD fund in Brian’s memory can be made by searching his name at www. candlelight.cafod.org.uk/.