In loving memory of Auntie Pat

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the wonderful Pat Weston.

Known by many as ‘Auntie’ Pat, she worked with children all her working life. She started her career working within the National Children's home, where she was known as Staff Nurse Bird. Pat didn’t like this, as she felt it was too formal for children, and asked if she could be known to the children as Auntie Pat. Though the Matron was concerned that she would lose her status, Pat’s reply was that ‘children don't care about status; they just want to know that someone cares for them and loves them’. And this was the beginning of Auntie Pat.

After marriage to Alex and the birth of her two sons, Pat settled in Thornton Cleveleys – a community in which she soon became a much-loved figure, taking over the playgroup at St John's church in 1980 and, in 1996, transitioning it to the name it’s known under today: Thornton Pre-school. Though Auntie Pat had thousands of children and families through the doors of playgroup and pre-school, she never forgot a face or name!

Auntie Pat was a long-standing member of what was then known as the Pre-school Learning Alliance (now the Early YearsAlliance) and, with other members who she met at cluster meetings and AGMs, formed a group called the Play Inclusion Project, which made sure all children got access to play. Upon her retirement in 2010, Auntie Pat was flabbergasted to hear the news that she’d been awarded an MBE for services to early years and was very excited to go to London to collect her ‘gong’!

Despite retiring, Auntie Pat remained a firm fixture within Thornton Pre-school – the children would get so excited when she’d arrive with milkshake and biscuits in hand to read a story.

Sadly, Auntie Pat had a stroke in October of 2024, which was a big struggle to recover from, and died peacefully in her sleep on 6 February. Pat would have been 80 this year and, though we are sad we won't get to celebrate with her, we only need to walk through our pre-school and see the legacy she left behind.

Loved by everyone, Auntie Pat will be missed immensely within our community; she has played a big part in the lives of thousands of young children and their families.

In loving memory of Patricia Weston MBE 1945 – 2025