School turns claret and blue in memory of teacher

A school has paid tribute to a teacher who died of cancer last year by dressing in the colours of his beloved football team.

Tim Connors, from Harrogate, taught at Pateley Bridge's Nidderdale High School for more than 20 years and was described as "funny, kind, strict and tidy" by staff and students.

The non-uniform day, themed around the claret and blue club colours of Burnley FC, marked the start of a fundraising appeal to build a permanent memorial to Connors.

Head teacher Kath Jordan said the school was "reminded constantly of the impact that Tim had on our community through many happy memories that young people have shared".

"It was really important to us to launch this campaign with something that everybody could be involved with, and something that was really visual," she said.

Seeing the whole school dressed in the North West team's colours was a "fitting tribute," she added.

The fundraiser, dubbed "22 Days for Mr Connors" to reflect his 22-year tenure at the school, will involve activities based around his interests - cake sales, sports matches and scaling the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

Year 11 students are also set to participate in a 38-mile (61.1 km) relay at Pateley Bridge Showground, the equivalent distance from Nidderdale to Burnley.

The target is raising £22,000 towards an outdoor seating area at the school, in recognition of Connors' love for the outdoors.

While some activities are specifically geared towards raising funds, others are "just for the Mr Connors of it", Jordan explained.

"When we reflected with our young people about Tim, we talked about him wearing many hats because he did," she said.

"Tim introduced our house system, he introduced a very important wellbeing Cake Friday in the staff room, he brought his love of art into school."

Examples of his watercolour paintings can still be seen around school, she added.

Connors first joined the school in 2003 as a PE teacher, before later switching to geography. He was also a member of the school's pastoral support team.

He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2017 and underwent immunotherapy, chemotherapy and participated in clinical trials for the disease.

The legacy he left extended beyond "the four walls of the school", Jordan said, with local businesses already contributing to the fundraising pot in his memory.

Although £22,000 over 22 days was ambitious, she added, students were "really enthused by the opportunity to challenge themselves".

"They're really keen to honour the memory of a teacher that had a real impact on their lives," she said.

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