TRIBUTE has been paid to a social worker who changed the lives of people across the dale.
Claire Edwards, from Boldron, died last month, aged 89. Mrs Edwards, a former community development officer, helped to form of a number of groups and was instrumental in the creation of a space for organisations to meet. The social services centre, which was formerly Bede Day Hospital, was later named Claire House.
In 1994 she was awarded an MBE by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her work in Teesdale.
She was best known for the formation of the LinkLine project which brought together a network of about 500 volunteers to look out for their elderly and neighbours in need.
Mrs Edwards’ daughter-in-law, Gill Back, said: “Even having retired she still stood up to head local charity and self-help groups, including Riding for the Disabled.”
A passionate animal lover, Mrs Edwards was known to always have a dog, and in the last 12 years of her life adopted three from the Dogs’ Trust and Border Terrier Association. Mrs Edwards was born on April 17, 1929, in Norfolk and, after attending school in the West Midlands, began working in the personnel section of a factory, aged 17.
It was there that she developed her passion for helping people. Mrs Back said: “The factory operated a welfare system whereby every worker paid one penny of their pay into a fund. If anyone was off sick it was Claire’s job to take money from this fund and deliver it to them, otherwise they had no income. She loved what she did so much she turned down a place at Cambridge University.”
She gave up work when she married Robert Edwards but returned to work when her son Ian turned 18, taking up a position at Blagraves restaurant, in Barnard Castle, in the late 1970s when they moved to the area. Later she would return to serving others by taking up the position of community development officer for Teesdale District Council.
Mrs Back said: “In her working career she came up against some strange things, including booby traps and shotguns, when she went to a house. She had a really good intuition with people. She touched so many people’s lives and there will be people who don’t know how she has helped her.
“She always tried to leave people a little bit happier than when she met them, which made her happier too.”
Mrs Edwards is survived by her son, Ian, and grandchildren, Sam and Charlotte.
