Marsden Rd Public School honours supergran

MARSDEN Rd Public School in Liverpool has started and grandparent of the year award, and the inaugural “Supergran” is Diane Banks, who has spent more than seven years volunteering there.

“Supergran” Diane Banks has volunteered at Marsden Road Public School for more than seven years. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

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GRANDPARENTS are often invisible and under-appreciated in the community, but not at Marsden Rd Public School.

The school has started a grandparent of the year award, and the inaugural “Supergran” is Diane Banks, who will continue doing her volunteer work there even though the last of her three grandchildren is about to go on to high school.

Mrs Banks, 72, of Liverpool, received her accolade at a school ceremony for what ESL teacher and award organiser Robbie Clark called “going above and beyond” the call of duty.

Mrs Banks has been volunteering for seven years at Marsden Rd, helping students with reading difficulties.

She has always preferred working with the “littlies”, kindergarten and year one and two kids. Along the way she has worked in classes with her grandchildren Ceilidh, now 17, Connor, 14, and Darcy, 12.

“They loved having nana in the class,” she said. But now that Darcy’s primary school days are almost over, she has no plans to quit.

“I know how much they need help so I’ll keep going,” said Mrs Banks, who worked fulltime at the school as a teacher’s aide before retiring.

She said the biggest thing she gave kids was confidence.