It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Margaret Inniss, who died on 21 July, aged 87.
As an organisation dedicated to community cohesion and development, we were deeply moved by Margaret’s remarkable commitment to Slough – and to Chalvey in particular. Her legacy is one of service, warmth, and dedication to the people and places she cared about.
While many of us were aware of some of Margaret’s contributions, the full breadth of her involvement — as listed in the Slough Borough Council obituary — is truly inspiring. She held numerous leadership roles over the years, including:
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Chair of Chalvey Community Forum
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Chair of Slough in Bloom
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Treasurer of St Peter’s Church
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Chair of Governors at Montem School
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Chair of Slough Towns Women’s Guild
One of our fondest memories of working with Margaret was interviewing her for our Chalvey Stories exhibition, alongside young people from the Roma and wider communities. She was a brilliant interviewee – candid, funny, and deeply generous in sharing her story. She spoke about how she fell in love with Chalvey while living there, and although she moved to Langley in the 1990s, she remained an active and influential presence in Chalvey’s community life.
Margaret with young people from Chalvey Stories in 2017.
Margaret also spoke with particular pride about the community events she helped to organise – from the Queen’s Silver Jubilee street party in the Crescent to smaller celebrations that brought neighbours together. One of the most inspiring examples was the street party she organised to mark the 100th birthday of her house — a joyful and imaginative gesture that showed her deep understanding of how simple, creative ideas can unite people. She recognised how powerful even the smallest moments of community connection can be.
A scene from the Queen’s Silver Jubilee street party in The Cerescent (1977).
To us, Margaret embodied what it means to be a true community leader. Never loud or self-promoting, she simply gave her time – consistently and wholeheartedly – to the causes and communities she loved.
She spoke passionately about Chalvey, and her words remain with us:
“This is a community. It’s always been a community. Other areas might have nicer houses or bigger gardens but they have no community — and that’s what I get from Chalvey. I know a lot of people here, and I know the place — and that’s what keeps me here.”
— Margaret Inniss, Chalvey Stories
You can download the section of the Chalvey Stories exhibition that features Margaret here: Excerpt from Chalvey Stories.
Margaret’s funeral will take place at 11:30am on 8 August at St Peter’s Church, Chalvey. All who knew her are warmly welcome to attend.
We send our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and to all in the community who were fortunate to know her.