Tributes paid to Eileen Charlton of Haydon Bridge

Described as "kind-hearted, determined, thoughtful and committed in everything she did" by her family, Eileen was Haydon Bridge's most prominent bypass campaigner and played a huge role in many aspects of village life there.

Born on April 15, 1949 to Jacky and Jean Wardle, she grew up in the village, where she lived all her life, with her four sisters Barbara, Jacqueline, Wendy and Diane, and her brother John.

She married David Charlton from Hexham at the age of 17 in 1966 and went on to have three children by the age of 21, Eileen, Paul and Kevin.

She was also a proud nan of her six grandchildren Susan, Jake, Sarah, Tony, Jodie and Georgia.

Eileen and David had been married for 46 years before his death in May 2012.

She spent over 25 years working at the Haydon Bridge Co-op store. Before that, she worked as a dinner lady at Shaftoe Trust First School and at Brough's in Hexham.

Eileen made a huge contribution to the community in her spare time, and served on Haydon Bridge Parish Council for 32 years.

She was chair of the Haydon Bridge Village Bypass campaign, never giving up until it finally came to fruition in 2009.

In addition to her tireless work for the bypass campaign, she also fought to keep the village's library open - which she went on to help run - as well as Haydon Bridge High School.

Cutting the first sod on the £26m A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass, from left to right: chief executive of Highways Agency Archie Robertson, chairman of the Haydon Bridge Bypass campaign Eileen Charlton and MP for Tynedale Peter Atkinson (Image: Hexham Courant)

She also served on the village's community centre committee, organised various fairs, and was involved with the Haydon Hundred cycle event for which she made her famous flapjacks to hand out at Nenthead.

Eileen, who passed her driving test at the age of 65, kept fit for many years and ran the Great North Run nine times.

She died in hospital from pneumonia on January 2.

Her funeral will take place at Haydon Bridge Methodist Church on Friday, February 3 at 11am.

Haydon Bridge Bypass Celebrations Street Party. Eileen Charlton prepares to get the Tug of War under way. (Image: Hexham Courant)