Vigil for much-loved Viv
● A SCHOOL choir has honoured the passing of a beloved member of support staff after an outpouring of affection from young people who held a candle-lit vigil in her memory following her death aged 59.
Viv Marsh had worked at The Grange for 20 years as a day attendant and teenagers turned out in force in her home neighbourhood of Halton Brook to share their grief and mark their respects after she passed away last month.
Graham Meredith, Viv’s sonin-law, said more than 150 young people attended the candle-lit vigil, which he said included a moving speech from one of the teenagers at the gathering which had been arranged so they could pay tribute to their old friend to the young and resident of neighbourhood renown.
Organisers also arranged candles to spell her name alongside heart motif and picture of her as the crowds braved the cold.
Her funeral took place on Friday, February 9, and due to the level of feeling and her place in pupils’ hearts, The Grange School allowed its choir to sing for the funeral cortege.
Mr Meredith, who grew up in Halton Brook and who now lives in Castlefields, said: “They all thought the world of her and loved her.
“She was like a legend of Halton Brook – I grew up there myself.
“The kids all get a bad name, but what they did was unbelievable.
“They had candles and music and lanterns let off – one of the kids got up and made a little speech.
“There were loads of people from The Grange School and from Portsmouth where she was from originally.”