TRIBUTES have been paid to a “positive, kind and compassionate” mum who overcame personal heartbreak to dedicate her life to helping children.

Lynne Lawrence, from Redcar, put countless hours into Victoria’s Wish, the charity named after her beloved daughter.

She passed away on March 26, in James Cook University Hospital, aged 57.

She was taken into the hospital with a urinary tract infection but was found to have cancer and passed away soon afterwards.

Lynne and husband Ian, along with other supporters, set up the charity after the sudden death of 19-year-old Victoria in 2008, to carry on Victoria’s own wish of helping poorly children.

Youngest daughter Rebecca, now 21, battled cancer twice as a child.

The family, including the couple's two other daughters, Sarah and Kathryn, described Mrs Lawrence as a wife, daughter, mum and nana who will never be forgotten.

Rebecca said: “She had this positive vibe and energy about her. She would talk to all the families with such positivity and compassion and she always

knew everybody’s name.

“I’ve always had a special relationship with my mum. She was the one constant thing in my life - she was constantly by my side and always holding my hand, particularly when I was poorly.

“We’re now even more determined to keep Victoria’s Wish going. We know in our hearts that my mum would want us to carry on with the charity. We now have two good reasons – for Victoria and for my mum.

“She spent her life doing everything she could to keep Victoria’s memory alive and to make Victoria proud. We’re going to do everything we can to

keep doing that."

Lynne met Ian, who she herself described as her soulmate, in 1979 when the two were 20 and 21 years old. He proposed around only months later.

The pair shared a love of crosswords and of family life and enjoyed trips away together, including to Kenya in around 2006.

Mr Lawrence said: “Lynne felt her duty was to help children, even before Victoria’s Wish. Whether it was our children, our grandchildren or other people’s

children, it didn’t matter.

“While in Kenya we visited an orphanage for children. About 90 per cent of our baggage allowance was taken up by things to donate to the children.

"That night, after we went to the orphanage she couldn’t eat anything and she just cried.”

Other loves of former Sure Start worker Lynne’s life were her four grandchildren, Sam and Lilly, both seven, and three-year-olds Freya and Spencer, and also her cocker spaniel, George.

Mrs Lawrence's funeral was held on Monday at Christ Church in Eston.