Beautiful bench donated to Riverside Tea Garden in loving memory of Stephen Moore

Lorraine Moore with her husband Stephen’s bench in The Riverside Tea Garden

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Lorraine Moore has donated a bench in memory of her late husband, Stephen, to Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms.

In March this year, Stephen, Lorraine’s husband of 38 years, died suddenly aged 63.

When Lorraine learnt that the tearooms was about to open its newly developed Riverside Tea Garden - at the rear of the existing building - she generously donated a beautiful bench in Stephen’s memory.

Lorraine said: “Stephen was a keen gardener, he shared my love of nature, animals and the outdoors, The new tea garden is so beautiful and tranquil. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute. I just know Stephen would have loved the new garden and I love the thought of having a memorial dedicated to him in such a fabulous, much loved setting.”

Lorraine, a Rochdale Infirmary Consultant’s PA, first visited the Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms with a view to volunteering; she immediately fell in love with the project and its surroundings.

Lorraine, Stephen and daughter Helen were amongst a small team of volunteers who stripped, renovated and decorated the building nightly during the winter of 2012.

That was over three years ago, and to this day Lorraine still volunteers there every weekend. Her passion for the tearooms, its objectives and the people who volunteer and visit there is matched only by the love she has for its location, the Healey Dell Nature Reserve.

Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms is a non-profit, voluntary run project aimed at assisting people of all ages towards securing employment via work experience training programmes.

The new Riverside Tea Garden was officially opened on 12 June by the Mayor of Whitworth.