THE death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta has stirred vivid memories for a Blackburn woman who once worked with the celebrated nun.

Stella Holt and her husband Peter, of Buncer Lane, Witton, Blackburn, spent five years in Sri Lanka from 1982, while Peter was employed as project manager on a scheme to build a new bank headquarters there.

Stella, a midwife and former ward and theatre sister at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, was keen to use her skills to help others.

She read about a home for the destitute and dying set up in Sri Lanka by Mother Teresa.

The nun was quoted as saying: "Do something beautiful for God" - which was exactly what Stella wanted to do.

She visited the home, where she found primitive conditions. "There were some cots but they just had rubber mattresses and it was very hot and sticky," Stella said.

"There was a handicapped boy lying on a rush mat on the floor and a old lady dying next to him.

"I told them what they needed, sheets and whatever, and went away and had a coffee morning to raise funds."

Shortly after Stella was invited to meet Mother Teresa and the nun began to call on her whenever help was needed.

Stella's fund-raising among the expatriate community in Colombo continued and she also sent appeals home for anything which could be of use to the poor of Sri Lanka.

Her friends and colleagues rallied round and five tea chests full of everything from bedding to children's clothes were sent out. Stella and Peter took on several major projects, including the provision of an ambulance to Mother Teresa's Missionary Sisters of Charity and the building of proper steps up to one of the nuns' homes for the sick.

And she gave the nuns, who were hard-working but who had had no proper training, practical help.

One of Stella's enduring memories of Mother Teresa is the time she rang at 7am to ask her to help move the chapel from one of her homes to new premises.

Crammed into a car packed with religious items from the chapel, Mother Teresa ordered Stella to sing.

They travelled to the new house, singing hymns all the way.

Stella, 54, said: "She was a wonderful lady. She was very practical and down to earth, but she was filled with holiness. She had a real, deep belief in God.

"When I heard she had died I felt very sad and a little apprehensive about what will happen.

"They have another nun who they were training to take over but it will be difficult to find someone with that deep, abiding faith again."

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