Tributes from family and former colleagues have been paid to Allerdale and Maryport councillor and mayor Pat McCracken, who died last Thursday.

Her family said she died in Maryport Cottage Hospital, of which she was a staunch supporter.

Mrs McCracken, 82, was born in Lowca but came to Maryport in 1955 after marrying husband John.

She worked in the Bata shoe and then the button factory, BIP, until it closed its doors.

A Labour supporter, she became politically active in politics in the 1970s after the death of her husband.

She was asked on several occasions to stand for council but refused to do so until her children grew.

Family and colleagues said Mrs McCracken was dedicated to her family first and then Maryport and expecially Ewanrigg, the ward she represented.

County councillor Keith Little, descried her as "a dedicated family person."

But in local government, he said, she was a force to be reckoned with.

He said: "She had the ears of many MPs including Fred Peart, Dale Campbell-Savours and Tony Cunningham.

"They used to visit her house to find out what was going on in Maryport. She was someone they respected.

"She supported me when I stood for county council and I will always be grateful for that."

Allerdale and town councillor Angela Kendall, said she and Mrs McCracken were friends in and out of the council chambers.

"We used to sit together. If she had not been there when I became an Allerdale councillor I am not sure what I would have done. She guided me through and looked after me."

Mrs Kendall said she and Mrs McCracken spent hours canvassing together.

"I don't drive so she would take me. We had some wonderful conversations and a lot of laughs. I will miss her."

She had three children, Valerie, Vivian and Peter.

They described her as public spirited and community minded but again, always putting family first.

She had three grandchildren and one great grandson and when she retired from work, she became a "professional" grandma, looking after the grandchildren.

A service was held for Mrs McCracken at St Mary's Church on Wednesday, with a large number of people who came to pay their respects to a forthright woman who fought for her community.