A teacher loved by all
Tributes paid to mother of two young children, as two days of mourning are declared in her family’s native Spanish town
‘Her husband’s life has completely fallen apart. They’ve got young children’
AYSHA FRADE was strolling across Westminster Bridge to collect her children from school when Khalid Masood’s 4x4 roared on to the footpath and snatched her life away.
She had just come from work, a school itself, where she dedicated herself to helping youngsters learn the language and culture of her family’s native Spain.
Yesterday, in the quiet Galician town of Betanzos, more than 100 locals, burdened by “tragedy and enormous pain”, gathered in silence to remember the 43-year-old, who died amid sirens and screams.
Back in London, the life of John Frade, her Portuguese-born husband, had “completely fallen apart”, according to a cousin.
The cousin, also called John, said: “I can’t even put it into words how he’s feeling. His life’s completely fallen apart because of what’s hap- pened. They’ve got young kids. When I heard I was just absolutely shocked. I’m still just feeling terrible, it’s a terrible thing to happen and you just don’t expect it to happen so close to home in this way.”
Mr Frade now must face bringing up his children, aged eight and 11, without their mother, who was described by those who knew her as kind and “the most upstanding member of society”.
A neighbour, Patricia Scotland, said the couple had been a “lovely family”. “I just can’t believe what I’m hearing this morning,” she said. “She was such a kind, lovely woman.”
The first of the civilian fatalities to be identified, Mrs Frade died within view of the DLD College for sixth-formers, just off the south bank of Westminster Bridge, where she was a department head.
Rachel Borland, the principal, said yesterday that the death of her colleague was a “devastating loss”.
“She was highly regarded and loved by our students and by her colleagues – she will be deeply missed by all of us,” she said.
Born in London to a Galician mother and Cypriot father, Mrs Frade’s gift for teaching languages runs in the family. In Betanzos, where she often spent her summers, the language centre run by her two older sisters, Silvia and Michelle, was closed yesterday as they reeled from the devastating news.
A cousin told Spanish radio: “I am crushed. We never expected anything like this.
“Yesterday I got a call from Silvia. She said, ‘Something terrible has happened – Aysha has been killed’.”
Andreas Hermida, a local politician who knows the family, said Mrs Frade had many friends in the area.
Two days of mourning were declared in the town. “It’s an immense tragedy and an enormous pain – there is a big sadness in Betanzos,” he said.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) made its first public pronouncement since the atrocity, saying the attack was intended to target citizens of coalition nations.
Mr Hemida said: “Betanzos has suffered a terrible blow because of the scourge of terrorism.
“Our most sincere condolences to the family of Aysha.”
He added: “Aysha spent her summers here and had many friends here since her childhood, so we are all very affected. You never think things like this will happen to you and it’s horrible luck when it happens at all, but when it happens close then it hurts that much more.”