Tributes pour in for Briercliffe mum who died aged 47

Cheryl Wood, a former Westholme School pupil, died after a battle with cervical cancer, on March 23.

Tributes have since been pouring in for the mum-of-one, describing her as a “warrior” who never stopped fighting. 

Her sister, Angela O’Hara, said: “She was amazing and such a warrior. She was a fighter throughout her cancer diagnosis and was more worried about us rather than herself.

“She never gave up fighting. When she was told she couldn’t do something she would do it anyway.

Angela O'Hara (left) has paid tribute to sister Cheryl Wood (third from right) (Image: Angela O'Hara)

“She refused to be put in a wheelchair and give up.”

Angela said her grandson Reuben, who has since sadly passed away, was the “light of her life” and said he was one of the biggest drives for her to stay alive.

Reuben had just had his 1st birthday when he died suddenly in September, when his family was visiting Cheryl.

She said: "It was tragic for everyone especially his mum Antonia (Toni) and Cheryl as his grandma.  

"He was the light of her life and what she was trying to stay strong for. Even when he died she still had the will to live for us."

Last year, Cheryl shaved her hair off for charity, raising more than £10,000 for Pendleside Hospice.

Angela said: “Cheryl had grown her hair really long, to look like Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters – but she knew she was going to lose it anyway due to cancer treatments so decided to shave it for charity.

“It allowed her to get some control back.”

Cheryl Wood (left) with daughter Antonia Reeves-Wood (middle) and grandson Reuben Yates (Image: Cheryl Wood)

Angela will be running this year’s London Marathon to raise money for Pendleside Hospice, a charity that helped Cheryl throughout her diagnosis.

Cheryl’s friends have also left kind words of tribute for her. 

Her best friend Jackie Robinson told the Lancashire Telegraph: “She was the bravest person I’ve ever known, a complete one-off, selfless person with the biggest heart and she’s left a huge void in the lives of those that knew and loved her.”

Cheryl Wood (Image: Angela O'Hara)

Ellie Bruce, another friend of Cheryl’s, said: “She was an amazing warrior whose loss has left a giant shaped hole in many lives. 

“She fought till the very end even after so many knockbacks she just kept going and going with 'never give up' becoming her mantra.

“I met Cheryl as a friend of a friend, like most I initially found her a little eccentric. Yet we bonded over pints of Birra Moretti.”

Cheryl was originally diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2013 but received treatment. In 2022, after reporting leg pain while at Glastonbury Festival, she went to the doctors.

Cheryl was given the devastating news that she had incurable cancer on April 5, 2023, with tumours reported to be on her spine and pelvis. On Friday, April 28, she was told she only had one to two years to live.

Cheryl's funeral will take place on Friday, April 19, 10.45am, at Burnley Crematorium.