A FORMER Radcliffe councillor has died after a long illness.

Fifty-four-year-old Mrs Sandra Lomax, who served as a Conservative councillor for Radcliffe South from 1988 to 1995, died in hospital in the early hours of Friday (July 30).

Radcliffe born and bred, she worked as a sales executive for a stationery office equipment firm and lived in Outwood Road, Radcliffe.

She was first elected as a councillor in 1988 and was re-elected in 1991.

Mrs Lomax served on three council committees - social services, highways, and leisure services - and was the Tory group's spokeswoman on the proposed M62 Relief Road.

She was a governor of Chapelfield and Gorsefield primary schools and Radcliffe High School.

In the summer of 1994 she was diagnosed as having incurable kidney disease.

Her health declined and in March 1995 she announced that she would not be defending her seat in the local elections.

Last year she went to live with her son, Stephen, at his bungalow near Beverley in Yorkshire.

She was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary with an infection last month and later suffered a stroke. A divorcee, she is survived by two children and five grandchildren.

A funeral service was held at St Thomas and St John's CE Church, Radcliffe, on Wednesday (August 4), followed by cremation at Overdale.

The family asked that any donations should be made to the Manchester Royal Renal Unit via Sillett's Funeral Service.

The leader of Bury Conservative Group, Councillor David Higgin, paid tribute to Mrs Lomax.

"She was a really bubbly, happy person who impressed everyone with her sincerity and honesty.

"She was a doughty fighter for Radcliffe. If she thought there was anything wrong in the town she would fight for it tooth and nail, but she was always a fair fighter. She will be sadly missed."

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