Claire Godward (25 Oct 1940 - 20 Jun 2020)

born Richardson
Passed away peacefully at home on Saturday 20th June 2020 aged 79 years. A loving, caring Wife to Alan, Mother to John, Susan, Peter, and David. Mother in-law to Ming, Sister to John, sister in law to Sue, Pam and Marilyn and Friend to many, Claire will be greatly missed. A Funeral service will be held at St Mary's Church, Chaddesden on Wednesday 8th July. Family flowers only please, however donations, if desired in support of The Childrens Society - web-site
www.childrenssociety.org.uk, or cheques
can be sent direct to Freepost - RSYH-HEEE-XZEG, The Childrens Society, 50 Banner street, London. EC1Y 8ST.
All enquires to: Co-operative funeralcare, Chaddesden. Tel: 01332 281442

Claire was born 25th October 1940 the daughter of May and Syd Richardson in Nottingham. Her father was a police officer and her mother had been one of the first women police officers in the country. At that time women often had to give up a career on getting married. Among Claire's memories was that of hiding under a re-inforced table during bombing raids and her father having to go out on duty when the sirens sounded. They lived in Sherwood, a northern suburb of Nottingham in a house which backed onto a railway cutting and Claire enjoyed going to the top of the garden to watch the steam trains passing. She kept her interest in trains, especially steam trains, throughout her life visiting many heritage railways. Her father was a strong swimmer and amateur boxer. Until the coronavius lockdown Claire enjoyed leisure swimming once or twice most weeks.

However she disliked boxing intensely since her father had a stroke in later life and she felt that it could, in part, have been because of sporting injuries many years previously.

When Claire was 7 her brother, John, came along and when he was a toddler and young child the family had several holidays especially in Sheringham in Norfolk. And about 3 years ago she had another holiday there and she was really pleased to find that the guest house was still there and the owner showed us round. Claire as a child visited relatives in Woodhall Spa and last year had a day there, went to the very small local museum and saw the street and the house where some of her ancestors lived.

At school Claire was not particularly academic and she became a bank clerk working mainly in Netherfield near Nottingham. By the early 1960's she had become more than a nominal Christian and her faith sustained her and it grew through the years. She became an active member of Sherwood Congregational Church in Nottingham, where she got married 9 November 1968.

She met Alan through mutual friends as both went to square dancing clubs, all the fashion at the time. They went to Australia about a month later as assisted-passage migrants as a career-move for Alan. Whilst they were there Claire worked part-time for the Australian Board of Missions as a clerk and they went at first to the main Congregational Church in central Melbourne until after John, their oldest, was born in 1970. They started going to the nearby Ridley College Chapel when Leon Morris was principal and he was most welcoming. Whilst they were in Australia they went square dancing and joined the Victorian Field Naturalists club which had talks and events about Australian plants and animals.

At the end of 1971 they came back to the UK whilst Claire was expecting Susan and they moved to Chaddesden in February 1972. Shortly after they started attending St Mary's when Mr Parry was vicar and Claire started going to the Women's Fellowship around that time. The age range of its membership was much wider that in recent years and they were able to make provision for mothers with young children. Claire and Alan's other children are Peter, born in 1974 and David in 1977.

Claire was always interested in their education and wanted them all to get the most out of what was available. She decidedly supported the idea of a public education which was available to children of widely different abilities and potentials.

Claire became a committee member for the Derby Committee of the Children's Society and box opener for St Mary's Church in October 1975 and became treasurer for the Derby Committee on 1st April 1992. She became involved in fund raising especially through bazaars and coffee mornings until these became too much to do or there were problems with the venue. At St Mary's she took part in many other activities besides the Women's Fellowship including being in a Bible Study Group and also served on the PCC for a while.