Burnley ‘miracle’ fighter loses last battle to cancer

Mother-of-three Lynne Briggs represented the Rosegrove with Lowerhouse ward on the borough council for four years but was popular in a number of roles.

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She was the wife of ex-council leader Coun Charlie Briggs, who revealed how she had ‘fought like a tigress’ against the condition in her final weeks and months.

Her death, at the weekend, was due to pancreatic cancer, which the couple were told earlier in the year was terminal. Initially she had been treated for gallstones and had her gall bladder removed.

But when she continued to be seriously unwell, the final diagnosis was given. She suffered a number of complications, including septicemia, which hampered chemotherapy treatment.

Even then, according to Charlie, his wife of 38 years amazed doctors at Rosegrove and Kiddrow Lane surgeries with her resilience. “One of the doctors at Rosegrove just took one look at Lynne and said that she was a miracle. Patients just didn’t last as long as she did with her condition,” he said.

Charlie has praised not only district and care nurses, and staff at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, who cared for Lynne in her last days, but also healthcare assistants from Majestic Care who were on her ward.

“I just cannot fault them or thank them enough for what they did for Lynne,” he added.

Lynne was a former pupil of Todmorden Road Juniors before moving to Walshaw High in Burnley. In a busy working life she spent 10 years as an auxiliary nurse at Burnley General, also working at Dove Court nursing home, a spell at Lucas Aerospace and latterly at Fred Hamer’s funeral directors in Rosegrove.

Her daughter Victoria, 33, who formerly lived in the Netherlands, had been a full-time carer for Lynne and the couple also have an older son, Peter, 35, and younger son, also Charles, 29, who works for Higher Walton Glass.

Lynne’s funeral service will be held next Tuesday, at noon, at Burnley Crematorium.