Alison Frances Innes

Alison Innes is a great teacher from Baytree School in Class 8, she uses a sign language at assembly on Thursdays with Samuel McCarthy, Aaron Sheppard, Daniel James, Cameron Taylor, Ben Weldon Barnes, Sam King, Bethany Durkin, Freddie Tall, and many more. I will miss you Alison Innes, just wait.

I was lucky enough to have worked with Alison at Baytree school She was an inspirational ,dedicated and loved teacher . She was selfless and gave her time and shared her knowledge helping me give the best to the students . She was also the funniest person who could always make you smile when you were down. I miss her beautiful smile and hugs which were so comforting Thank you for everything

To my fabulous friend Alison. I feel truly blessed that our paths crossed and we became friends 7 years ago. We were introduced through a mutual friend, who suggested I should meet up with you. You were described by Gill as light hearted, funny and kind and she was spot on with her description. Our friendship grew over "Thatcher's" evenings, afternoon teas and little trips out to sample a spot of lunch! During those times we would chat about everything and anything and there was always a laugh thrown in for good measure. I don't have many photos of the two of us, but the one I love, is of us at the Bristol Harbour Festival. A sunny day , where we sat and watched the world go by. People watching over lunch. Perfect. Trips to Bristol Harbour Festival will never be quite the same again - but I will go and I will raise a glass (of Thatcher's of course!) in your memory. Thank you Alison for our friendship. 7 years isn't very long I know, but we filled it with laughter and love. God bless you my friend. Xxx

Mum One memory I will never forget is when Catherine and I visited mum’s school with her early last year. She had been absent from Baytree for a few months at that point and had just come in to sort out some paperwork, but you could tell she was excited because the real reason she wanted to go in was to see the students. We had only been there a couple of minutes and already pupils were coming out to see her with great big smiles on their faces and immediately began to fill her in on what had been happening since she had been there last. She couldn’t get a word in edgeways but she didn’t stop grinning the entire time. It was a bit of a surreal experience at first, seeing this other life my mum had teaching these people I’d never met, who seemed to know her so well - but seeing their faces when they came barrelling through the door to see her is something I will always remember. Realising how much of an impact she clearly had on them made me proud to have shared my mum with these phenomenal people. Many of the Baytree staff will know just how hard she worked to improve the lives of every single student she taught. The countless Saturday nights she’d spent with her laptop out, watching casualty and making her own resources - never settling for anything less than perfect. She was so determined to give every student the best possible chance in life. She was also the absolute definition of courteous. During her time at the hospice, even when speaking was becoming more strenuous than it once had been, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ were always a firm part of her vocabulary. But her defining trait was, without doubt, her infectious, ridiculous, incredible sense of humour. If I’d had a tough day she would instantly pick up on it and wouldn’t leave me alone until she’d forced a grin out of me. She would effortlessly be able to lift the mood in any situation, whether it be dressing up in my grandad’s clothes or singing and dancing in the car when son of a preacher man came on the radio. Your infatuating humour, infinite wisdom and abundant kindness appealed to everyone and made you an inspiration to many, not least of all me. I can only aspire to be as considerate as you were, have such a positive influence on as many lives as you did, leave as extraordinary a legacy as you have. I am so incredibly grateful to have known you for the time I did, I only wish we could have had longer together. But for the time we did share, and for the memories I will cherish every single day, thank you. It was an honour.