Lifelong Urchfont resident Pat Heath loved the village and was involved in numerous organisations.

Mrs Heath died at Salisbury District Hospital on July 10, aged 85. She had been in ill health for some time.

She was born and brought up in the village, went to the village school and when she left aged 14 she worked at Rookery Farm, Urchfont, in the poultry unit.

Her future husband, George Heath, also worked on the farm including on the dairy unit. They had known each other at school and they were married at St Michael’s Church, Urchfont, on October 30 1948 and lived at Cuckoo Cottage.

Mrs Heath was a fount of knowledge about Urchfont and was able to help anyone wishing to know about the history of the village as she had a collection of old photographs.

She wrote a book about her childhood memories in 2011, raising money for Salisbury Hospice, which looked after her sister.

She helped with Urchfont Brownies for 34 years and they entered a float in Devizes Carnival procession, winning a cup for three consecutive years, with Mr Heath driving them by tractor and trailer from Urchfont.

She was a faithful member for more than 60 years of Urchfont with Stert Mothers’ Union.

She enjoyed helping the pupils at Urchfont Primary School with their reading.

She served on Urchfont Parish Council and was a caretaker at the village hall, along with her husband.

She was a bell ringer at St Michael’s Church and was the first woman to ring a quarter peal.

Her love for the village never faltered and she helped out whenever she could. She did not do what she did for praise but saw it as her duty to the village and residents.

She reported on the village as the Gazette & Herald’s Urchfont correspondent for 26 years, one of the newspaper’s longest-serving correspondents.

Mrs Heath is survived by her husband, their children, Jane, Ian and Kevin, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Her funeral service is on July 24 at 10am at West Wiltshire Crematorium, Semington, followed by a thanksgiving service at St Michael’s Church, Urchfont, at 3.30pm.

Her family have asked for donations in her memory to go to St Michael’s Church, Urchfont, and Salisbury Hospice.