Tower and Town, July 2021

  (view the full edition)

'Wiltshire children take it for granted but as a city child I am still in awe of the changing seasons, birdsong and starry nights'

Gina Cooke grew up in London and moved to Wiltshire in her 20s. She has taught in local schools for 40 years and lives in Marlborough.

Life at the Elephant and Castle in the 1950s and 60s was my “normal”. It was dirty, noisy and still bore the scars of the war. We understood seasons, as they were marked by the displays in the newsagent’s window: Christmas decorations, Easter eggs and fireworks. I adored trips to “the country”, where the air smelled so different and life seemed quieter. Even from a young age I was drawn to this natural environment.

After student days in Bath, where I met my husband, a Moonraker, we lived in a variety of places before coming to Marlborough. At the time I taught at St John’s and have since worked in many local schools, teaching pupils aged four-16.

Why have I stayed in Wiltshire? It’s home, a glorious county, with gentle countryside and a sense of history all around. And why teaching? It’s the children, and the amount I learn from them.

Wiltshire children are no different from those inner-city kids I grew up with. They take their “normal” for granted. Whereas we were thrilled by a trip to the country but the travel on the bus and train was of little consequence, for many Wiltshire children, using public transport on school trips has been an adventure. How do I ask for a bus ticket? What about the return bit? Can I speak to the old lady who asks me where we are going? How do I know where to get off? Do the trains have toilets?

And what have I learned? I know what hedgepigs are, that a bull has to be taken bullin’ and that mares have to be covered. Not to mention the joys of teaching spelling to children who don’t drop their h’s but add r’s and u’s.

And my other great interest is the natural world and environmental issues. Of course, Wiltshire children take it for granted but as a city child I am still in awe of the changing seasons, birdsong and starry nights and have tried to inspire the children with an understanding of how amazing the natural world is and how we need to protect what we have. As a child was heard to say when I walked in to take assembly: “Oh, it’s Mrs Cooke, it’ll be recycling.”

Gina Cooke