Tribute from King Charles after death of former Sheffield Girls High School head Diana Skilbeck

Diana Skilbeck MBE, aged 80, was the former headteacher of Sheffield Girls High School. And she was given an emotional send off at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, last Tuesday (April 4) at a funeral during which King Charles’s praise was revealed, and which ended with her body being carried by a boat she helped restore.

Diane was headteacher at the school, near Broomhill, from 1983 to 1989. A spokesman for Sheffield Girls High said: “She dedicated herself to the education and wellbeing of our students and her invaluable contributions to our school and the community will not be forgotten.”

Under her leadership, Diana oversaw a large increase in the number of junior school pupils at Sheffield Girls High. Her original junior training was often reflected in her interest in the work and extracurricular activities that took place in the Junior School. Further to this, Home Economics was introduced during her time in charge and new sixth form facilities were provided on Clarkehouse Road.

She was described as 'inspirational' for her 50-year service to the boat museum by King Charles in a letter of condolence after her death last month.

After a memorial service at her local church, her coffin was transported by boat along the Shropshire Union Canal for a short distance before she was cremated.

Affectionately known as Di, she had volunteered at the museum site since the 1970s.

She was part of a band of enthusiasts who rescued the derelict port and transformed it into a national home for the UK's historic boat and waterways collection.

Richard Parry, chief executive of The Canal and River Trust, said: "Di Skilbeck MBE has been a passionate waterways supporter for half a century and she has given so much to them in that time; her record of achievements is remarkable.

"Her passion for local history and the canal network placed her at the centre of the ambitious work to restore the derelict Ellesmere Port and as a founder of the museum society.

"As a retired schoolteacher and headmistress, Di had a natural gift for sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with adults and children alike.

"Always a source of generosity and good humour, she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”

Diana, born in Heswall on the Wirral in November 1942, moved to London to train as a teacher before returning home to teach geography and history.

She later became deputy head at West Kirby Grammar School, head mistress of Sheffield High School and head mistress at The Queen's School in Chester.

She became involved in the Boat Museum, now the National Waterways Museum, in 1974, when she and her students joined the first working party to restore the site.

They then became regular Sunday helpers. She later became chairperson and president of the Boat Museum Society, personally leading the major restoration of two historic boats

And in recent years had continued as an enthusiastic volunteer at the museum. In 2012 she was awarded an MBE for Services to Heritage. She died on March 4.