A THANKSGIVING service for the life of Mary Jeffries will be held at Malvern Priory tomorrow (Saturday).

Mrs Jeffries lived in Malvern for 47 years until her death in October and was an active member of the community.

She was married to Dr John Jeffries, a psychiatrist at Powick Hospital from 1956 until his death in 1963.

He helped establish the Samaritans in Worcester and to found St Anne's Halfway House in Malvern Link.

A prominent member of Malvern Writer's Circle, she served several terms as chairman, and also contributed book reviews to the Malvern Gazette.

She enjoyed success as a writer, particularly of children's stories and poems, with work featured on Children's Hour, Jackanory and You and Me. A series of stories and two full-length books were published in the United States and her poems were featured in many anthologies.

In addition, several of her poems were set to music and one suite was sung in the Three Choirs Festival.

She was a member of Malvern Choral Society, sang in the Three Choirs Festival several times and was a member of the Priory Singers, who will perform at the service.

Mrs Jeffries also served as a Justice of the Peace for ten years and helped in the book department at Malvern's Oxfam shop for many years.

She was a founding member of the Lyttelton Well project and was on the Priory's parochial church council.

Her interests were varied and included gardening and spinning; she once taught a girl to spin to help with her Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Until the Splash closed for refurbishment, she swam 20 lengths a day, five days a week, with the Early Swimmers.

The service will be held at 2pm and all friends are welcome.