An evening was recently held to celebrate the life of a woman who spent most of her life trying to make Wimbledon the best it could be.

A respected and much loved member of the Wimbledon community through her tireless voluntary work for music, education, peace and the environment, Joanna Bazley died of cancer on October 5.

Last week more than 80 people gathered at the William Morris House to say their final goodbyes.

The evening included a medley from 'The Merry Widow' by Franz Lehar, with singing by soprano Harriet Bazley (Joanna's daughter) accompanied by Tim Stroud on the piano and assisted by Lynn Cook.

Masie Carter, who organised the evening, said: "Joanna was the beating heart of the peace movement in Wimbledon - an inspiration and role model for us all."

Joanna was a resident of Wilton Grove since 1976 and raised four children with her husband Desmond.

She was a member of Wimbledon Disarmament Coalition for more than 30 years and its secretary for 20 of those.

She was a keen gardener, a member of the John Innes Society and was always on hand to raise money for the community.