Donations in memory of Gainsborough teacher to offer hope to others

More than £5,000 has been raised in memory of a Gainsborough teacher and mother-of-two who lost her 11-year battle with cancer.
Andrea Habershon with daughters Eleanor and Lily.Andrea Habershon with daughters Eleanor and Lily.
Andrea Habershon with daughters Eleanor and Lily.

Andrea Habershon, from Scotter, died on December 28, aged 47, after battling a brain tumour.

Pat Humphreys, Andrea’s mum, said: “When Andrea died it was requested that instead of flowers at her funeral, we asked for donations for Cancer Research, in the hope a cure could be found for someone else.

“The donations at the moment stand at an amazing £4,350, plus the additional gift aid of £798.75.”

Chris Habershon, Andrea’s husband, said: “Andrea wanted to raise money for Cancer Research UK as she believed fundraising in the past had in some way funded development of her treatment, which meant an 11-year fight against the disease.”

Since her diagnosis, Andrea had to undergo four major brain operations, several years of chemotherapy and a summer of radiotherapy, before she contracted meningitis and passed away.

Andrea had worked for several years at William Farr School in Welton before moving on to Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough, where she taught for more than 10 years.

Her most recent role was as head of psychology and sociology at A-level.

Chris said: “Andrea has had two daughters, Eleanor, aged 17, and Lily, 13, who were both students at Queen Elizabeth’s.

“Eleanor is taking sociology at A-level, and would have been taught by her mum if she’d not fallen ill.”

Andrea grew up in Scotter before heading to London to attend university.

Chris said: “She was very popular, both as a teacher and as a friend. She was kind, generous and loved a party.

“Her service at Scunthorpe Crematorium was standing room only.

“She is missed terribly by us all. It’s heartbreaking.”

People can still make donations online by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrea-h1.

Last year, Cancer Research UK spent £473 million on work to help beat cancer.

This includes £432m toward research, with about two-thirds into specific types of cancer and a third on research into cancer biology.

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