Dr. Gillian Rees - An Appreciation

Penkhull Residents Association is committed to treating all people equally and with respect irrespective of their age, disability, gender reassignment,

marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Many of you will have known Gillian - she was a GP to many of us down at Honeywall and it's now a year since she died. We thought it would be good to remember her with a piece about her life, for those who didn't know her so well.

Gillian was born in Canberra, Australia on 1st Feb 1963, where she spent the first three years of her life. Her family then moved to Formby near Liverpool, where Gillian went to school. She was a trainee GP in Birmingham for three years and then moved to Stoke-On-Trent in 1995, to be near Martin, whom she married in 1990.

She was a GP at Honeywall with Dr. Price, whom many of you will remember and then with Dr. Janet Lefroy from 2002. The practice always achieved very high ratings and 'outstanding' status from the CQC - something to be immeasurably proud of. She loved being a GP - something to which we could all attest in our contact with her.

Gillian led an incredibly full and varied life. She and Martin had three daughters; Sammy is now a paediatric dental specialist, Sarah is a data analyst and Jenny is a trainee GP.

Gillian was an avid Stoke City supporter and season ticket holder. She loved golf and in her quieter moments enjoyed art, crafts and embroidery, at which she was immensely skilled.

She supported fundraising for charities including Cardiac Risk for the Young (CRY), Melanoma UK and organised several charity balls.

She also travelled the world, loved wildlife and was a keen photographer.

Gillian died so very young from MND, which is a horribly cruel disease, but was able to pass peacefully at home on 12 September 2024.

She will be remembered for how lively she was, her zest for life, for her love for her patients and her family, and for Stoke City of course.

So, although it was a life cut cruelly too short, it was a life well lived and we remember her with love, gratitude and a smile.