Freda Cheetham, an English teacher at Longdendale secondary school in Hollingworth, Greater Manchester, who inspired 'difficult to engage' pupils, has died aged 93. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, she was the daughter of Fred Kenworthy, a cotton spinner, and Annie Jones. After attending Ashton grammar school, she left at 16 to become a trainee journalist on the Ashton-under-Lyne Reporter in 1948, later moving to London to work on trade journals.
She left journalism to return north and train as a teacher at Alsager College in Cheshire. In 1957, she married Leslie Cheetham, a tenant farmer in Mottram-in-Longdendale, and taught for 25 years at Longdendale secondary school until her retirement in 1982. In her later years, she specialised in helping children with special needs.
From the 1970s, Freda managed a horse business at the farm in Mottram, which faced constant threat from landlords trying to sell the land for development. She fought off several notices to quit until the farm could eventually be bought, and it remains run by family members today.
After retirement, she served as a governor at Arundale primary school in Mottram and was an active member of the Stalybridge and Hyde Labour party. She raised funds for Yorkshire miners during the 1984-85 strike and protested at Greenham Common, having participated in some of the first anti-nuclear demonstrations in the 1950s.
In her younger days, Freda was a keen rock climber and proud to have gone on expeditions with the celebrated mountaineer Don Whillans. She was also a keen traveller and spoke fluent French.
Leslie died in 1996. Freda is survived by her children, Lesley and the author, five grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.
