THE wife of a long-serving Darlington councillor has died a week before her 84th birthday.

Wyn Stamford-Bewlay, wife of Councillor Philip Stamford-Bewlay, died last week from a heart attack.

Coun Stamford-Bewlay has been a Conservative councillor on Darlington Borough Council for 38 years, and the pair have served as town mayor and mayoress.

The couple's son, Christopher, said: "They had a very active year as mayor and mayoress. Apart from that, her role was primarily to support my father as a councillor."

She was born in Wallsend in 1921. She met her husband through work before they moved to Ghana and Libya as part of his work with UNESCO. They returned in the 1960s and ran an old people's home, Clifford Villa, in Darlington, with their late son, Michael, until 2001.

Daughter-in-law Jane said: "She had a very strong character with a very sociable personality. She was very loving with her family and she didn't suffer fools."

Mrs Stamford-Bewlay enjoyed cooking, art, sewing and dress-making.

She had two grandchildren, Michael and Nicholas.

Her funeral takes place on Thursday.