Wyre's 'Millennium mayoress' Pam Lawrensen dies after cancer fight

Pam Lawrensen, 79, died on June 17 following a battle with lung cancer.

The grandmother of four, who lived on Stoneyhurst Avenue in Thornton for more than 40 years, was the wife of former Wyre Council leader and mayor Jim Lawrensen, 81.

Jim, an alderman who served as a Wyre councillor from 1987 until 2011, and then as a member of Lancashire County Council, said: “As mayor and mayoress of Wyre, we did over 300 visits. In those days we went to Dublin for the Dublin Holiday World Show, we went down to the royal garden party at Buckingham Palace, and we rose on the lifeboat at Fleetwood when she drove the boat across the bay – she was always very at home in boats. We had some wonderful times.

"She was absolutely phenomenal. She was one of those people who was very interested in people and in the Millenium year she could walk into a room full of people and carry out a conversation without any effort at all, and when she got home she could recite it all with unbelievable memory.

"She worked at the baby clinic at Thornton Cleveleys healt centre for 18 years, and she could remember every child that passed through her hands.

"She was a very caring person, always interested in people, always had a kind word for somebody, nothing was too much trouble for her. The fact that I’ve had messages of condolence coming in from so many people is proof of that.”

Pam’s funeral took place at Cleveleys Park Methodist Church, on West Drive, on Monday, July 11. It was followed by a wake at Fleetwood Town FC, where Jim still stands as vice president.

Jim said: “Pam supported me in everything I did and it’s only now that she's gone that I realise how much she did. She never wanted to be mayoress, but whatever she did, she did 100 per cent. She was a great asset to Wyre – a far greater asset that Wyre realises.”