The family of a community hero will honour her legacy with a tree and memorial plaque.
Chris Lathlane, of Newark, was a guide commissioner at St Giles Hall in Balderton and devoted her life to helping others - enriching the lives of thousands - died of cancer in August 2021.
Her sister-in-law Christine Lathlane is now organising a special event to plant a dwarf apple tree and a memorial plaque in the back garden of St Giles Community Hall, on Main Street, Balderton.
“We decided on a dwarf apple tree because in the years to come we didn’t want it to overshadow the area,” said Christine.
She added: “The guides can go out and watch the fruit grow and hopefully we will get some fruit on it and then we shall remember her.
“The fact that apples grow from seeds and the fruit blossoms, she did that to guides over the 38 years.
“Most of the guides that came through have now got children of their own, have now returned to the movement and are probably a brownie or a guide themselves.
“It’s like a nurturing thing, so the fact that it is an apple tree is quite significant and she did like her fruit trees.”
Mrs Lathlane reopened 1st Balderton Guides when her daughter, Sharon, wanted to join but found that places were limited.
Chris reopened the unit in Balderton in 1974 and than ran the unit for 38 years before she retired.
The memorial event is taking place on the same day as the Guides’ annual Brownie Toadstool competition on April 27.
The guides will be presented with trophies and then will honour Chris’ memory by planting the tree and setting up the memorial plaque.
St Giles Church Parochial Council approved the tree and plaque.
Much-missed Chris was named a Citizen of the Year in 2017 in awards run by the district council to recognise the work of unsung heroes.
She was the winner of the over 60s category for her contribution to Guiding, the Methodist Church in Newark, children with special needs and other voluntary work.
She was a district and division commissioner with the Guides and led the Newark Ranger Unit during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
She led nine trips to Switzerland for 50 Guides at a time, organising fundraising events so that everybody could afford to go.
When she retired as a leader she continued to be involved as a member of Newark Friends of Guiding and a Notts County Trefoil member.
“I think this memorial for Chris is very important for girl guiding because she did such a long time and did so many activities with them and it is nice to know that the guiding community have remembered her and there is something tangible that will still be at our community hall, hopefully for a long time.
“It is a good community thing and I think that the family will be pleased that we marked it in that way.”
Christine is appealing to any guide leaders and old guides who remember Chris to attend the event and honour her memory.
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