Teacher gives thanks for support through cancer

A quilt created by a Derby headteacher to reflect the support she received through her cancer treatment is set to go on public display.

Paula Martin, 53, who oversee at the Firs Primary School in Derby and Stanley Common Primary School in Ilkeston, was diagnosed with breast cancer on her 51st birthday in October 2022.

She said the support she received from the school community helped her through treatment and she decided to create the quilt after she received the all clear in April 2023.

The quilt, which is made up of patches from each of the 33 schools in the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust (DDAT) is now set to travel to each school for a week before it is put on display at Derby Cathedral.

Mrs Martin had an operation to remove the tumour and returned to work after two weeks while undergoing radiotherapy, because she wanted to "carry on with her life like normal".

She said: "I love my job so I've never had a day off work in my 30 years of teacher, never been off sick, so it was a shock.

"A child came and gave me hug when I first came back to school after the diagnosis and from that point I said 'I'm still the same Mrs Martin and I'm not going to let the diagnosis define me'."

Mrs Martin said the idea for the quilt came when she was asked to reflect on her experience with cancer at the trust's headteacher meeting in June 2023.

"Life often leads us to belong to groups we never expected or wanted to be part of, yet within them, we can find incredible comfort and support," she said.

"That's what I found within the breast cancer community - a shared strength and understanding that carried us through tough times.

"I designed this quilt to symbolise that sense of connection and to inspire pupils to feel proud of being part of this academy, a place that fosters and true sense of family, where we are all different, but together."

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