A FORMER member of Colchester Council and a founder member of the Colchester Social Democratic Party has died, aged 80.

Yvonne Edkins moved to Colchester from Birmingham in 1979, when she was appointed Nursing Officer at Halstead Hospital, responsible for setting up a team of district nurses.

In Birmingham she had trained as a nurse at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Her career included working as a district nurse in the inner city and lead nurse in a specialist plastic surgery unit at Wordesley hospital.

She entered politics in the early Eighties as a founder member of the Colchester Social Democratic Party, alongside Sir Bob Russell.

Yvonne won a seat on Colchester Council in 1985, in a by-election, representing New Town Ward. She was re-elected in 1986.

In her five years as a councillor, she played a full part in the council.

She was proud to set up the Colchester Shopmobility scheme. Yvonne took on additional duties such as school governor at Colchester County High School.

She represented the borough on a trip to Sienna, Italy, to try to develop twinning links. In 1990, she stood down, but continued to play an active part in the borough's Liberal Democrat party for many years afterwards.

After her retirement from nursing, following her second marriage, she set up a variety of different businesses before becoming a vintage postcard dealer with her son.

Andrew, under the business name of Maxam Cards. She continued to work for the business until March this year.

Yvonne was involved in establishing St Helena Hospice and continued to support it until she died. During the week of the hospice’s 30th anniversary celebrations this year she was a patient in the inpatient unit.

In her seventies she became a volunteer at Lion Walk Activity Centre, where she helped with administration of payments for the lunch club every Friday. She continued with this until September 2013, when her cancer became more extensive after initial treatment a year earlier.

A devoted grandma, she played an active part in her grandsons' lives, taking them to after school clubs, feeding them dolly mixture and fruit pastilles and amusing them greatly with her comments on Facebook.

She was determined to keep up with them in technology and social media.

An avid reader, she was a regular at Stanway Library, popping in every Saturday to pick up the latest novels she had ordered.

She became very ill in March this year when cancer spread to her brain. She approached the disease with her trademark determination. Yvonne died at Cheviot nursing home, Lexden, on Sunday, November 8.

Her first husband was Michael Maxam, and they had three children. She leaves a husband, Vincent, children Andrew, Alison and Juliette, and four grandchildren, Alex, Rose, Sebastian and Nicholas.

Yvonne's funeral will take place on November 26 at 12.45pm at St Leonard's Church, Lexden Road, Colchester, followed by burial at 2pm at Colchester Cemetery.