She was the eyes, ears and heart of the town - tributes to former mayor

Ivy Street, who lived in Thatcham since the 1960s, died on July 3.
Mrs Street had been on Thatcham Town Council from 1979 to 1983 and then again from 1991 to 2006 and in 1998, she became the town’s 25th mayor.
Her daughter, Linda Lewendon, said: “Mum always had a heart and helping someone or giving them advice was what she did.
“My memories of mum are her running from one council meeting, having her dinner and then running off to another function.
“She was very honoured to be mayor. She enjoyed every moment of it.
“Even as mayor she still had time for the public and would always stop to talk to people. She was always there in order to help anybody. We were very proud of her and what she did – she achieved so much and never gave up on anything.”
She added: “Being in Thatcham for such a long time, she became a part of the community. Thatcham was part of who she was and she wanted the best for everybody.”
During Mrs Street’s year as mayor, she raised nearly £1,000 for the Kosovo Crisis Appeal by holding a charity concert.
More locally, she was behind a campaign to improve road safety in Green Lane and made the town’s annual civic service open to all, not just dignitaries.
She also meet the Queen during a royal visit to Denison Barracks, Hermitage.
A tribute statement from Thatcham Town Council read: “One of Ivy’s great strengths was that she was willing to listen and talk to people, take on board their concerns and act upon them. She was prepared to fight their corner, both in and out of the council chamber.
“Although Ivy felt it an honour to be mayor and accepted as many invitations as possible, she never lost sight of her duties as chairman of the council and representing the people of Thatcham.
“Ivy was also practical and did not mind what she did to help.
“As part of the Thatcham in Bloom committee she was one of the panel of judges of the various competitions; she also escorted the national In Bloom judges on a number of occasions to show, with great pride, the work that people had put in to making Thatcham a better place to live.”
Mrs Street’s funeral will take place at St Mary’s Church, Thatcham, on Thursday, July 25, at 11am.