Readers will recall our report with sadness, that following a long illness, Mrs Joan Charles, passed away on Friday 10th April, aged 71 years.

Joan, along with her husband Len – who survives Joan, were both members of our Support Group in the late 1980s and in to the 1990s, and continued to lend their full support to the team up to current times.

The full and sincere condolences of the team were expressed at the time to Joan’s family, including her husband Len, daughter and current serving team member Gill Leigh, her husband and former team member and ex Deputy Team Leader Ian Leigh, Joan and Lens other daughter Kath, and other family members, friends and colleagues.

Today a funeral service and committal took place at Overdale West Chapel, Bolton, at 1.30pm, to which our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE attended to represent both the team, and to reflect on his past times in Joan’s company.

A measure of Joan’s standing in the community, and the many friends and people she touched in her life, was the very large number of family, friends, associates and colleagues who packed in to West Chapel, so many in fact that those present ‘overflowed’ in to the Chapel entrance.

Many tributes were paid to Joan, above everything else it was her joy of life and the joy and happiness she brought to others that shone during the service.

Very kindly and thoughtfully in support of the team, donations in lieu of flowers were requested to Bolton MRT to honour the memory of Joan.

Please see website ‘News’ reports of Sunday 2nd November, Sunday 9th November and Wednesday 10th December, all 2014, at which the team took part in a little surprise for Joan and Len at their Golden Wedding Anniversary celebrations, which also raised a considerable donation to the work of the Bolton MRT, and Tuesday 14th April 2015.