FAMILIES and staff past and present gathered at a Fishponds pre-school to remember its inspirational manager.
Around 100 children and adults attended a memorial event in July for Liz Tomlinson at Sticky Fish Pre-School, based at Fishponds Baptist Church in Downend Road.
Liz, a mother of four and grandmother from Stapleton, died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in April, aged 57.
She had worked at the pre-school for around 20 years, including more than ten as manager.
To honour her memory staff held an open event for past and present families, and others involved in Sticky Fish over the years.
Acting manger Jo Ball, who was Liz’s deputy, said: “For so many families in and around Fishponds, Liz Tomlinson was more than a preschool manager. She was a guiding hand, a listening ear, friend and a joyful soul, who helped shape young lives.
“Her recent passing has left a profound sense of loss throughout our Sticky Fish community.
“Liz was such a kind and caring person. She was an amazing wife, a mother of four, a grandmother, a sister and aunt.
“As manager of Sticky Fish, Liz has been such an influential person in both our professional and personal lives.
“She had a way of talking with you that made you instantly at ease with her. She didn’t just listen, she heard.
“Providing a caring, loving and nurturing start for children was at the very centre of how she worked.
“Her dedication to early childhood education, and especially to the rich learning potentials of being outside, was behind all her decisions as manager.”
Liz masterminded the transformation of a patch of overgrown ground next to the pre-school’s outdoor play area to create the Wild Garden, a place where children could learn about the natural world.
Working with staff, parent volunteers, Avon Wildlife Trust, Grow Wilder and the East Bristol Carpentry Collective, the garden was Liz’s “pride and joy”, said Jo.
Its benefits to children in learning about the natural world and taking part other outdoor activities were highlighted in the pre-school’s most recent Ofsted report in 2023.
Liz also arranged outdoor activities for staff on INSET days.
The pre-school has bought a bench for the garden and an acer tree to create some shade near its small pond, along with a sign naming it the Spring Mother’s Garden.
Jo said the sign had been made in consultation with Liz’s family, inspired by a eulogy from one of her daughters, who had described Liz as her “Springtime Mother”.
She said: “Liz will be forever missed but never forgotten by both her family and all her Sticky Fish community.”