Last updated 05:36, Friday, 05 September 2008

From Brampton to Barrow and from Silloth to Sedbergh, Heather Jeckell’s contribution to the teaching of home economics was considerable and consistent.

Ensured good practice: Heather Payn was extremely diligent in her work which saw her introduce all manner of projects designed to improve the education of both children and adults through her support of evening classes, often in remote villages and at all times of the year

She introduced all manner of projects designed to improve the education of both children and adults through her practical support of evening classes, often in remote villages and at all times of the year.

In 1968 she was appointed to the new post of adviser for home economics with the Westmorland Local Education Authority. Following local government reorganisation in 1974, her role expanded to take in the whole of the new county of Cumbria.

With her colleagues in the county education service, she worked to help establish the new county and to ensure that good practice in home economics teaching would be readily available to everyone.

She arranged courses at teachers’ centres and through the county’s new residential development centre at Higham Hall, often arriving a day early to make sure that everything was in order.

Poor health – rheumatism – forced her to take early retirement in 1982 but her condition did later improve sufficiently for her to serve as president of the Kendal Soroptimists, an organisation of which she had always been a committed supporter.

In 1990 she married Maurice Payn, the recently-retired former Chief Education Adviser in Cumbria and the couple made their home in Carlisle.

A very keen fell walker in her younger days, Mrs Payn later became a world traveller. With her husband she visited so many states and cities, including Greenland, Iceland, New York, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spitzbergen and New Zealand. They also sailed to the remote island of St Helena.

Although she had worked and lived in Cumbria for much of her life, she always kept in very close touch with her family in the county where she was born, Northumberland.

Educated at Washington Grammar School in what is now Tyne and Wear, she studied at the College of Housecraft, in Leeds, becoming a teacher in County Durham. However, the facilities for teaching housecraft there were basic and she soon moved to a post in Hull, where she worked in a comprehensive school for several years.

There, she became highly regarded for both her teaching and for the facilities she provided over and above her departmental duties and this led directly to her appointment with the Westmorland LEA in 1968.

Mrs Payn died aged 81, leaving her husband, her sister and many relatives in the North East.

Her funeral will take place at Carlisle Crematorium today, with George Hudson and Sons making the arrangements.