Apart from having a lovely smile Jacinta had amazing patience whilst teaching my daughter Jessica (or trying to) and had a wicked sense of humour. A particular memory of Jacinta is of her so generously giving her time by fund raising for St Louis Family Service, now Gatehouse. One occasion still stands out in my mind after over 20 years. Jacinta played Debussy La Cathedrale engloutie to a hushed audience in a rather gloomy Hengrave Hall, a tudor manor house (then a convent) her head thrown back totally absorbed in the wonderful music. I remember to this day the goose bumps on my arms, it was a totally spine chilling performance and my admiration for Jacinta' s amazing talent from being a teacher to watching a concert pianist let loose was totally transforming for me.
NB. Jacinta and I both attended Our Lady of Sion convent in Bayswater but little did I know that she was living in Bury St Edmunds until her name popped up in conversation, what a lovely co-incidence, the dear old nuns would be vey proud of their lovely and very talented pupil.

Sarah Bateman nee’ Dore.

From Jessica – Jacinta was very kind and obviously very patient as I was a truly terrible pupil she had a mass of frizzy black hair and a kind smile and eyes. Jacinta was someone I certainly looked up to also the fact that she was very tall to an eight year old like me. I can even remember her laugh and the gentle way she spoke 30 years later. I remember clearly stopping at a health food shop after school on the way home to buy carob digestives (something I’d never had before and tasted slightly odd but ate anyway). I also remember that the girls had written on a rota what they wanted to watch on the limited amount of television they were allowed. I was pretty surprised to see East Enders on it. Very liberal!!

Jessica Darnell nee’ Bateman (memory of an 8 year old)