MELKSHAM stalwart, Gail Chillcott, who died following a traffic collision, is being remembered by her family and friends as the ‘kindest and most caring person that people would go to.”
She was involved in a three-car road traffic collision on the A3102 near Calne on 26th February and died due to her injuries.
“The collision happened when she was on her way home from her last radiotherapy appointment following a diagnosis of breast cancer,” says her daughter, Sally Watts. “My mum was the kindest, most caring person, that so many people would go to. She had so many friends. She would always listen; she was always there for people and she was just so wonderful.”
Over the years, Gail, who was a magistrate, fostered around 60 children with her husband, Maurice, and she was known in the town for her childminding work and being involved in many community groups and activities.
“My mum was always heavily involved in Aloeric School,” explained Sally. “She started off when I started at Aloeric on the Parent Teacher Association; by the time my brother was there, she was on the governors and she was also chair of the governors. To this day, she was heavily involved in the Pickwick Academy, the academy that Aloeric School is part of. She always held the Aloeric School in high regard; we have a strong connection with the school.
“As a magistrate, my mum was also the go-to person for advice on all those kinds of things that crop up in life, from parking tickets to speeding fines. She was never on the council, but she would go to council meetings to have an input about what was going on in the town.”
“Out of all of the 60 foster children, my mum and dad adopted our brother Aaron. He was heavily involved in lots of activities, such as the Trowbridge Marching Band and the Air Cadets. Whatever we were invested in, my mum was invested in too and supported us through it.
“For a woman who never actually wanted to be a mum, she went on to have two of her own children, adopt one, and go on to foster about 60 children and childmind many others too. She has five grandchildren with whom she has a very close bond. The eldest two are even heading into careers in the legal sector after being inspired by all her work as a magistrate.
Gail and Maurice moved to Melksham from Trowbridge around 45 years ago, to their home on St. Michael’s Road. “My mum used to live in Swindon and I believe they met at a disco in the Brunell Rooms,” added Sally. “So many people feel so devastated that she is not here any more.”