The trustees at Sidmouth Unitarian Old Dissenting Meeting House have remembered their late lay leader as a person of great integrity.

Robert Crick said Elizabeth Barlow (nee Hazlewood) had been in slow decline since the death, after 43 years of marriage, of her beloved husband Hugh in August 2015.

A childless widow, Elizabeth died in Colyford on January 19 at the age of 73. Her funeral will take place in the Unitarian church at 2.30pm next Friday (February 24).

Retired accountant Elizabeth had been the lay leader of the church for the past six years and its treasurer for 11 years.

She was also the treasurer for Seaton Visually Impaired Group and for the Seaton Drama Group and was the national treasurer for the Unitarian Fellowship.

For many years, she had been an active volunteer for Oxfam and Amnesty International in Derby and later in Sidmouth.

Robert said: “Those who attended the many services she led or contributed to had never known Elizabeth to assert a belief in life after death, but all were struck by her steadfast life of faith and hope and love.

“All who knew her in the various community activities she devoted herself to will be welcome to attend or participate in the service, which will be led by the Reverend Joy Gleeson, and to join an informal gathering in the Leigh Browne meeting room afterwards.”