Howell’s open Martha’s Place in memory of a very special girl

Martha Pugh holds a special place in the hearts of everyone at Howell’s School, Llandaff. Martha joined Howell’s as a nursery girl, and her huge, infectious grin and can-do attitude made her enormously popular with her peers as well as staff. Everyone at Howell’s was devastated when Martha was diagnosed with cancer when she was in Year 3, but despite exhausting treatment both in the UK and abroad, she kept in touch with everyone at school, coming in whenever she could and refusing any special treatment from the other students. She was the strongest, bravest girl that we had ever known, and the Howell’s community was heartbroken when Martha died in January 2017.

Last summer, some of Martha’s closest friends got together with Mrs Sally Davis, Principal, to discuss the ideas that they had for creating a special place in school in memory of their friend, and the idea for Martha’s Place was born. During the last year, the girls have all been involved in a wonderful art project, creating decorative tiles to fill the walls of a small courtyard dedicated to her memory, where students will be able to sit and chat with their friends.

On Thursday 5th July, Martha’s parents, along with all the girls in Year 9 and many of their parents, attended an afternoon reception in the recently completed sports pavilion and an opening ceremony for Martha’s Place. The walls are adorned with more than 300 hand made and hand painted tiles; and brightly coloured, outdoor beanbags are waiting for students to flop down and enjoy the peace and quiet. Martha Pugh will always be a part of Howell’s School and a Hywelian forever.