A town has lost one of its former mayors whose funeral takes place at the end of this month.

Sue Delling, 81, who had last November been diagnosed with heart failure, died peacefully in her sleep on New Year’s Eve, her family announced.

She was the mayor of Deal from 2003 to 2005 and a Dover district councillor from 2003 to 2007, representing Mill Hill for Labour.

Daughter Anna Callan said: “She was very proud to be mayor of Deal and represent the town both in England and abroad.

“but she was also oddly dismissive of her achievement in becoming mayor as she was quite self-effacing.

“So she was always surprised when people were so impressed by it and by how people treated her like royalty just because she had her regalia on.”

Mrs Delling was born in Dover but left Kent when her father left the navy and moved North. He eventually retired as a clergyman.

She married Don Delling in 1962 and the couple lived in Germany until 1967.

They settled back in Britain in Epsom Downs in Surrey and had three children.

Mrs Delling did not get involved in politics until she moved to Deal in 1997 and was a town councillor from for 10 years from 1999.

She was a keen supporter of the Fair Trade initiative and one of the people who helped Deal become a Fair Trade town.

She also became involved in setting up the town’s Golf Road Community Centre in Deal.

Mrs Delling used to regularly join beach cleans until she suffered a stroke at the age of 73.

She eventually moved out of Deal in 2019 and in her last years had lived in Redhill, Surrey, to be nearer her family.

Mr Delling died in 2005 and the couple were divorced by then.

Mrs Delling leaves three children, Wade, Leigh and Anna.

Cllr Kevin Mills, Leader of DDC said: “We are very sad to hear of the death of former councillor, Sue Delling. Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family and friends at this difficult time.”

Sue Delling’s funeral will be held at 1.15pm on Wednesday, January 31, at the Surrey & Sussex crematorium in Balcombe Road, Crawley, West Sussex.