A MEMORIAL service to celebrate the life of popular teacher Lenia Hadjisavvas who was praised for her work in both education and the local community, will take place next Saturday, October 27.

Lenia, of Charmouth Road, St Albans, was a victim of lung cancer although she had never smoked.

She was born in London in February 1955, the daughter of Greek Cypriot parents who had arrived in Britain three years earlier.

She took a degree in humanities and developed a great love of English literature which she conveyed brilliantly in all her teaching posts, latterly at St John’s Senior School in Enfield.

With her husband, Mel, she moved to St Albans in 1987 where they had two daughters, Angeliki and Eliana. Friends describe her as the epitome of a “people’s person” with an astonishing way of making every individual she met feel special and important, whether they were one of her nearest and dearest or the Big Issue seller outside Marks & Spencer.

As a parent, Lenia was well-known for her contributions to Bernards Heath infant and junior schools, where she regularly cooked moussaka and Cypriot bean stews for summer and winter fairs as well as charity auctions.

Lenia found positive inspiration from her attendance at the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre, a Bristol charity that offers holistic and dietary support to people undergoing cancer treatment.

The service will be held at St Saviour’s Church in Sandpit Lane, at 2.30pm. Attendees are invited to wear either a green or purple garment as they represent Lenia’s favourite colours. Donations are invited to the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre.