A GRANDMOTHER who worked tirelessly for the Stratton St Margaret branch of the Mother's Union died suddenly while on holiday with her friends.

Florence Lucas, 82, known to her friends and family as Florrie, has been involved in the voluntary women's organisation for more than five decades and is well known for her knitted teddy bears which have found their way around the world.

She also worked alongside her husband John at Collards Bespoke Tailors, which used to be on Victoria Road, and during the Second World War she helped build aeroplanes at Shorts Brothers in Blunsdon.

Today her sons Peter and Tony paid tribute to their mother who they say was dedicated both to her family and charity work as well as being an active member of St Phillip's Church in Stratton.

Florrie also had a third son Simon, 39, who works as a manager for Marks and Spencer in Worcester.

Peter Lucas, 40, of Okus Road, Swindon, is a director of printing firm ESP Colour. He said Florrie was an energetic woman who was well known in Upper Stratton for her charity work.

"She was a person with lots of friends and was a member of lots of groups such as the Upper Stratton Thursday Club, the Scrabble club and a stalwart of St Phillip's church," he said.

"She enjoyed being with people and loved chatting. She was always active and she would have raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years through her knitting."

Born Florence Jefferies in Union Street in 1920, Florrie grew up in Old Town. She married her childhood sweetheart John Lucas who was in the same class as her when they were pupils at King William Street School.

John died in 1984 but Florrie continued to live in Orchard Grove where the couple moved after they got married at Christ Church in 1945.

Her eldest son Tony, 56, is a retired schoolteacher and moved to Australia 30 years ago. He now lives in Melbourne and says he came to Swindon to meet his mother after she returned from a trip to Tenby. She had gone on holiday with the Upper Stratton Thursday Club, a group for pensioners who would gather for social occasions and go on holiday.

He said: "Her death was very unexpected. We are coming to terms with it now.

"She was still very active at her age and she had sent loads of cards from Tenby saying what a great time she was having. She had arranged to come home a couple of days later but she did not quite make it."

He added Florrie will be missed by many including her six grandchildren, Michaela, eight, Dominic, five, John, 17, and Frank, 15 Joanne Thorpe, 28 and John, 25.