Midwife-turned-lecturer who helped bring hundreds of Wearsiders into the world to be laid to rest

Tributes have been paid to a nurse who went on to pass on her expertise to others as she worked to improve the lives of Sunderland families.
Margaret Gartland pictured in the 1950s as she worked as a nurse.Margaret Gartland pictured in the 1950s as she worked as a nurse.
Margaret Gartland pictured in the 1950s as she worked as a nurse.

Margaret Gartland, who has died aged 88, was a well-respected nurse, health visitor and lecturer who dedicated her career to improving the chances of children across the city.

She began her career in 1949 when she trained as a nurse at the Sunderland Royal Infirmary.

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By the early 1950s she had specialised in midwifery, heading to complete her training in East London.

Margaret Gartland worked as a midwife in Sunderland before going on to a number of other roles which also saw her support families most in need across the city.Margaret Gartland worked as a midwife in Sunderland before going on to a number of other roles which also saw her support families most in need across the city.
Margaret Gartland worked as a midwife in Sunderland before going on to a number of other roles which also saw her support families most in need across the city.

She then returned to Sunderland to work as a community midwife and a sister on the maternity ward.

In 1968 she re-trained as a health visitor before becoming Superintendent of Hendon Health Centre in the early 1970s with a specific focus on developing early year’s services within the Hendon and Southwick areas.

Her team covered all postnatal care and included wider family support such as subsidised food, clothing and equipment to help give families the best start.

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That work involved working with some of the Sunderland’s most vulnerable families, many of whom had been affected by the demise of local industry and the subsequent decline in living standards.

Margaret Gartland and her husband Nick.Margaret Gartland and her husband Nick.
Margaret Gartland and her husband Nick.

By the mid-1970s she had joined Monkwearmouth College as a senior lecturer and led its nursery nursing course, where she was responsible for the training and development of future early years professionals.

Her links with local nurseries and primary schools were an important aspect of her work and she was well respected across the sector for her knowledge, professionalism, personal warmth and humour.

She was promoted to deputy head of department in the early 1980s before taking early retirement in 1989 due to ill health.

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Margaret, who was born in Consett, is survived by husband, Nick, 89, and four children, Tony Gartland, Nick Gartland, Peter Stafford and Alison Prudden, nee Stafford.

Margaret Gartland and her grandchildren Hannah, Megan, Asa, Anna and Matthew.Margaret Gartland and her grandchildren Hannah, Megan, Asa, Anna and Matthew.
Margaret Gartland and her grandchildren Hannah, Megan, Asa, Anna and Matthew.

Alison said: “She was just so popular and knew so many people.

“She was also very humurous, very loving and she will be so greatly missed.

“She loved life and was such a part of the community, she cared for everybody.”

The grandmother’s funeral is at St Chad’s Church, Durham Road, East Herrington, on Thursday, January 2, at 10.45am.