HUNDREDS of people are expected to attend the funeral of a woman who touched thousands of hearts during her lifetime.

Lorraine Stephenson, 50, from Bedale, died recently after a battle with cancer and her funeral is due to take place in the North Yorkshire town on Tuesday (November 9.)

Her daughter, Charlene King, said she was a well-liked member of the Romany community and was renowned for her caring personality. She said they were expecting hundreds of people to travel to North Yorkshire for her funeral.

Lorraine was born and brought up in Bedale, North Yorkshire and in her younger days was a regular visitor to all the traveller fairs.

“If you didn’t know her, as soon as you did, she was a friend,” said Charlene.

“She was the best mother a child could ever, ever wish for. She was just so caring; there aren’t enough words to describe how caring and kind-hearted she was. She had a heart of gold. She would give her last to anybody and she always had a smile.

“She was well-liked by everybody, so people are travelling from London, the North-East and Yorkshire, from a lot of parts of the country to be here.”

Her family has arranged for a mother-of-three to have a spectacular send-off. She will be carried in a gold casket on the back of a horse-drawn carriage from her home in Bedale to St Gregory’s Church in the town, where she was christened.

Following behind the procession down Bedale High Street are expected to be hundreds of mourners and her family in a cavalcade of Rolls Royce Phantoms.

The service will then take place at the church at 12pm.

Her family say they have already been overwhelmed with the floral tributes they have received.

Lorraine was the daughter of Matty and Nellie Elsworth and leaves behind three children; Patrick and Tyrone Stephenson and their sister Charlene King.