QUARRY Bank Royal British Legion members have been mourning the loss of dedicated charity volunteer Gloria Donovan.

Mrs Donovan, of Jason Road, Stourbridge, died on Saturday December 13 after a battle with cancer.

The 71-year-old popular charity collector was a dedicated volunteer for Quarry Bank British Legion – and over the last few years had helped to substantially boost the profile of the branch which was left without a clubhouse a few years ago.

Eric Homer, secretary of the Quarry Bank branch of the RBL, paid tribute to Gloria and the work she did for the branch, organising trips and events and helping to promote the legion's annual Poppy Appeal.

He said: “She was a very determined lady. She was assistant Poppy Appeal co-ordinator a few years ago and in more recent years she took on the role of events organiser.

“She would organise our Poppy Appeal launches and the St George’s Day collection; she did an awful lot.

"This year she organised a collection point at Asda Brierley Hill. I knew she was poorly – but she even made the effort to come to our Remembrance parade after she’d been in hospital.

"She was determined to parade down to the park. Once she'd set her mind on something she wouldn't give up."

Gloria's heartbroken sister Edna Drake, from Dudley, said: “She was always doing things for other people rather than herself."

She said Gloria "put her heart and soul" into organising events for the legion which she began supporting more than 20 years ago with her husband John, a former Army man.

They started out as collectors for the Tipton branch but on moving from West Bromwich to Stourbridge in 1987 they joined the Quarry Bank branch.

John passed away from cancer five years ago and Gloria was hit with breast cancer which later spread to her stomach but she battled through repeated rounds of chemotherapy and managed to continue her charity work until the last few weeks.

Edna, aged 64, said: "She was always so vibrant, she never missed a meeting. I don't know where she got her energy from. John's death was a massive loss to her though; she never got over it."

In her younger days - Gloria worked for a number of firms in the Dudley area, in a variety of roles, before spending more than 20 years with Hagley finance company Pilvale Ltd.

She "adored" her 11 grandchildren and was a big West Bromwich Albion football fan, often going to matches with her elder sister Elsie, aged 83.

A big supporter of the Race For Life event, she had also taken part in the 5K fundraiser every year for the last 13 years, raising thousands for Cancer Research UK.

Gloria, who is also survived by three daughters - Julia, Wendy and Sue – and her younger brother Fred, aged 56, also raised funds for Russells Hall Hospital's Georgina Unit where she had undergone chemotherapy treatment.

Edna added: "It was always about raising money for charities. She would also get funding to take people in Quarry Bank to the pantomime in January; she'd done that for the last three years."

Her funeral will be held at Gornal Wood Crematorium on December 29 at 10.20am.