Tributes have been paid to a popular charity fundraiser and retired school secretary following her death at the age of 90.

Joan Wilkinson, of Lakeland View, Workington, died on August 14 after a brief illness.

Her funeral was held on Tuesday at St Michael's Church, where she was baptised and married and was an active member throughout her life.

Born Joan McCulloch in 1926, she was the daughter of Alex, a joiner, and Mary Eleanor, known as Nellie.

She had a younger sister Elsie, who died aged 17 the year after being bridesmaid at her wedding.

Mrs Wilkinson was born on Salterbeck Road and as a young child moved to a house in Cumberland Street where she remained until 1976.

She then moved to Lakeland View, where she continued to live independently.

A former pupil of Newlands School, Mrs Wilkinson worked in a solicitor's office in her early adulthood.

She met George Wilkinson, an RAF serviceman, at a dance in the Princess Hall in 1946 and he left the forces and trained as a teacher to be with her.

The couple married in 1950 and Mrs Wilkinson remained in her job until son Alex was born in 1954.

When he went into education, she became a secretary at St John's Junior School, later moving to Ashfield Junior School when it closed.

She remained there until her retirement in the late 1980s.

Mr Wilkinson was a keen member of West Cumberland Lions Club and his wife remained involved with the group's ladies section after his death in 2003.

The couple were keen sailors, having a boat on Derwentwater for almost three decades, and Mrs Wilkinson was a member of the Workington RNLI fundraising committee.

For about 20 years she hosted events at her home for the Macmillan Cancer Support's World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

Alex said: "I had a card the other day that referred to the coffee mornings as legendary.

"Mum and dad lived in a modest house and she used to cram about 50 people in. They went on for hours.

"I think she raised about £10,000 over the years."

Mrs Wilkinson also volunteered at the British Heart Foundation shop in Workington for many years before moving on to the Salvation Army shop, where she continued to help out until recently.

She was a lifelong member of the Mothers' Union at St Michael's, was in the church choir and was a Townswomen's Guild member.

Alex said: "She was very sociable and outgoing and loved being with people.

"She enjoyed making a contribution. She was friendly and believes in helping other people.

"She kept herself extremely busy until about the last year when she found it more difficult to get out.

"A lot of her friends were still the people she went to school with."

Despite her advancing years, Mrs Wilkinson still managed to take her Yorkshire terrier, Poppy, for walks around the block twice a day until a few weeks ago.

She celebrated her 90th birthday in April with a trip to Lyssick Hall Hotel near Keswick with her son and daughter-in-law.

Alex said: "We had the tasting menu and she ate all eight courses."

Friend Wendy Atkinson, who worked alongside Mrs Wilkinson in the charity shops and through the Lions and RNLI group, said: "She was always willing to help out with any activities.

"She was young for her years. You wouldn't have thought she was 90 for her outlook on life."

Mrs Wilkinson is survived by her son Alex and grandchildren Amelia and Guy.

Donations in her memory can be made to Macmillan Cancer Support and Workington RNLI, c/o Co-op Funeralcare, 49 Oxford Street, Workington.