TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired headteacher who has died at the age of 77.

Jessie Dowson's lifelong connection with Escomb Primary School, near Bishop Auckland, started in her childhood when she was a pupil.

The link continued when she took up a teaching post and ended in 1983 when she retired as headteacher at the age of 59.

Mrs Dowson's husband, Ronnie, died last year. She leaves a son, Andrew, who lectures at the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington.

Former colleague Ethel Dobson remembers her as a dedicated teacher with a keen interest in botany. She said: "She knew all the children in Escomb and took a great interest in their future."

A funeral service is taking place at Cockton Hill Methodist Church, Bishop Auckland, on Tuesday at 2.30pm. Cremation follows at Durham.