Our History - About Helen

Helen Louise Astley was born on December 27th 1956 in the town of Marple, which sits on the edge of the Peak District.

Helen attended Rose Hill Primary School and Marple Hall Grammar School. After leaving school, Helen trained at the Abraham Moss College, near Manchester, where she gained City and Guilds Diplomas in Beauty Therapy. After working for a time in that sector, Helen decided to pass on her skills to others by moving into further education. She taught at Chesterfield College in Derbyshire and then as a senior lecturer at Castle College in Sheffield. She was a marvellous teacher, totally dedicated to her students, and would always go that extra mile to help them achieve success. In 1997, Helen and her husband Rob Lyon moved from Sheffield and settled in Froggatt in the Hope Valley.

At the age of forty, Helen was diagnosed as having breast cancer. From the very beginning, she faced this illness with fortitude and stoical humour. Working through the treatments of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Helen also sought out complementary medical support, such as reflexology and visualisation techniques, to assist in improving the quality of her life.  Throughout this difficult period, Helen carried on with full-time teaching as well as with renovations to her home. And, most importantly, her personality continued to enrich the lives of her husband, family and friends.

A few years later, the tumour returned with a vengeance, but Helen was determined within the constraints of her illness, to lead a normal life in her own home.  Her last few weeks at home were important to her, particularly given her concern to protect her family and friends from their impending loss.  On the 6 October 2001, she died peacefully at home in the presence of those she loved best.

The day of Helen's funeral was one of splendid autumnal sunlight amidst the quiet beauty of the Hope Valley. A fitting farewell to a woman whose qualities of strength, courage and compassion survive to this day in the memories of those who knew her.