Sheppey schools campaigner Theresa Langworthy has died. She was 59.

A decade ago the former governor of Danley Middle School chaired the Sheppey Parents Action Group (SPAG) during a high profile campaign to try to save the Island’s popular middle schools and halt Minster College from being turned into an academy.

For the past four years she chaired the Friendship House Trust and oversaw a £70,000 revamp of the hall in Love Lane, Minster, getting grants to replace its floor, install disabled toilets, extend the car park and redesign the gardens.

She also helped husband Rob and daughter Maria run the Swale Gojo-Ryu karate club at Friendship House and organised international seminars for Japanese karate masters and fighters from Europe to visit Britain.

Mr Langworthy said: “Theresa was always involved in the community and wanted to help people. She fought for everyone.”

She was born and brought up on Sheppey. After leaving school she trained as a hairdresser at the Co-op in Sheerness before working with celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon in London.

She returned to the Island as a cashier at Nash’s furniture store before becoming a mum. She leaves two children, son Ryan who works in Sittingbourne, and daughter Maria Dundon-Langworthy who works in Boots, Sheerness.

Theresa married her childhood sweetheart Rob after one of his friends dared him to ask her out. They were both in their teens and enjoyed 39 years of marriage.

Thirty years ago while on holiday in Skegness Mrs Langworthy, of Scocles Road, Minster, suffered a blood clot and had to have a leg amputated below the knee and her husband said despite needing a wheelchair, she never let her situation hold her back.

She complained of feeling ill during a karate seminar in Essex in January.

Doctors at Medway Maritime Hospital confirmed she had suffered a heart attack which led to a successful double heart bypass at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. But her recovery was affected by new blood clots, a cardiac arrest and a stroke.

Despite the setbacks she made good progress at Sheppey Community Hospital and managed to see her daughter wed in July. But complications set in and she died on September 22.

Her funeral is at Charing Crematorium tomorrow (Friday) at 10.40pm followed by a wake at Minster Working Men’s Club. All friends are invited.