Church window memorial to much loved GP

A NEW stained glass window has been created in a Yorkshire church as a memorial to a much-loved local GP.
Helen Whittaker putting finishing touches to the window. Picture: York DioceseHelen Whittaker putting finishing touches to the window. Picture: York Diocese
Helen Whittaker putting finishing touches to the window. Picture: York Diocese

It will be installed at St Wilfrid’s church, Kirby Knowle, near Thirsk, on Monday as a tribute to Dr Jane Rajan.

The window has been commissioned by her husband Raj Rajan and designed by Helen Whittaker.

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The design for the window symbolises Dr Rajan’s vocation, showing St Luke, who was both a physician and a painter.

Also seen in the window are celebrated medical and religious figures such as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, a pioneer of women’s medicine and Alexander Fleming the inventor of penicillin.

Ms Whittaker of Barley Studios, near York, said: “In the foreground of the window you can see a pot of three lilies, which is a reference both to the Holy Trinity and to Jane’s husband and two children...Jane and Raj’s family roots in Scotland and Sri Lanka are symbolised by the border patterns, which derive from the tea plant with its historical trade connections between the two countries.”

The Rev Ian Houghton, Vicar of the Osmotherley and Hillside parishes, said, “Jane was a much loved and respected local GP, and she often visited St Wilfrid’s as a place of quiet and refreshment. Jane was originally from Scotland, so it’s very fitting that we’ll be dedicating the window on Sunday November 30 – St Andrew’s Day.”

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