Elsie Gascoigne
2nd Metheringham Brownies fundraised to buy this bench to remember their friend, Elsie, who died in January 2025 when she was 7 years old. Elsie – we will never forget you.
We have also uploaded some photos of Elsie – at school and at Brownies – doing the things that she loved to do. The Rainbow Poem was written by the staff at Elsie’s school.
With love, Swan, Dove, Cuckoo, Magpie, Raven, Robin and 2nd Metheringham Brownies
Betty Bench – a poem by Elsie’s mum, Kerry.
I am a bench, my name is Betty,
I’m here to be sat on, not just look pretty,
Please use me when you’re here,
To not would be a pity,
You need a seat and I’m sitting pretty
Here to remember a little girl’s spirit,
So I do hope you’ll continue to visit.
She loved to swim and play in the pool,
And she thought Brownies was really cool.
They raised the money for this bench
A place to go and remember
I miss you, I do, but please don’t be sad
When you see me remember the fun that we had.
The story of Elsie Gascoigne
Elsie was a much-loved daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece and friend to many. She loved her friends and family with all her heart and loved to see them and spend time with them. She loved life and was such a busy little girl who was cheeky, smart, sassy, funny and always up to something!
Seven Facts about Elsie – There are 7 colours in the rainbow, and Elsie loved rainbows:
1. FAMILY – Elsie loved her family with all her heart. For every birthday, beyond the many presents she wished for in all shapes and sizes, her most important request was to have her family with her to celebrate.
2. FRIENDS – She loved to play and have adventures with her friends. Halle was Elsie’s absolute best friend from the age of two, in preschool. There are so many happy memories of “the two blondes” as Kerry (Elsie’s mum called them) growing up together.
3. GIRLGUIDING – Elsie had recently fallen in love with being a member of Girlguiding. She had been a Rainbow in Scopwick on Mondays and then moved on to Brownies in Metheringham on Tuesdays. Every single week, she would come home buzzing with excitement to tell her mum what she’d been doing and with something amazing she had made.
4. ANIMALS – Animals, especially, white horses were Elsie’s absolute favourite, and she always dreamed of having a white horse of her own. Elsie also loved dogs, and her mum often joked that she knew more dogs in the village than people! She would often rescue ants and ladybirds from the garden and bring them into the house. She would build each of them a little habitat and name every single one ‘Jimmy’!
5. CELEBRATIONS – Elsie’s three favourite times of year were Christmas (especially the songs), Easter (for the egg hunts) and Halloween, because she loved to dress up!
6. CREATIVITY – Elsie loved sparkles, glitter, make up, nail polish and dressing up in fancy dress costumes. She also loved colouring, sticking, playing with slime, Play-Doh, water, and sand. Messy play was always a favourite, and the mischievous twinkle in her eye would shine brightest during those times. We often found slime stuck to the ceiling, felt pen on the walls, and Play-Doh in the carpet – each time met with her innocent declaration that she had no idea how it got there.
7. RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS – Elsie loved rainbows and unicorns. When her friends and family see a rainbow, they know it’s Elsie.
“You are the rainbow in someone else’s cloudy day, just like a unicorn.”
We love you more than words can ever express. You brought so much love, laughter, and light into our lives. We adored your passion for life, your spirit, your crazy sense of humour—we love everything about you and always will.
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Prince's Street
Metheringham
