BRAVE grandmother Sandy Richardson has called on mourners to be in the pink when they attend her funeral this week.

Before the 53-year-old businesswoman lost her battle with cancer last week, she requested that women wear elaborate Ascot-style hats to her funeral and the men wear pink ties.

Mother-of-three Mrs Richardson died on Wednesday after a five-year fight against the disease. Doctors had given her only weeks to live in 2000.

But while going to extraordinary lengths to fight the illness - even travelling to Mexico for specialist treatment - she also worked tirelessly to raise awareness about breast cancer.

She will continue to do so, even in death.

At the family home in Lord Nelson Close, Seaton Carew, her husband, Colin, said her funeral on Saturday would be a celebration of his wife's life.

"She wanted the men to wear pink ties and the ladies nice hats, and the women can wear pink dresses if they want, too. It's all to raise breast cancer awareness.

"She didn't like black and she didn't like funerals that were sombre."

He said even the undertaker and pall bearers would wear pink ties at the funeral at Middlesbrough Crematorium, in Acklam Road, at 10am.

He and the couple's daughters, Lauren, Hayley and Jonelle, who are all in their 20s, have chosen five songs to play at the service, rather than hymns.

Mrs Richardson was known across the North-East for her work with Business Link Tees Valley.

She won Best Supporter of Women's Business at the North-East Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2003 and Business Support Professional of the Year by Prowess last November.

One of her best friends, Sharon Ord, said: "She was a real character and would fight for women."

The funeral will be followed by a reception at the Swallow Hotel, Stockton.