Dorothy Sutcliffe, town’s travel agent, dies at 85

Mrs Sutcliffe owned a guest house in Blackpool before taking over a sweet and tobacconist shop in Hebden Bridge in 1965, which also acted as a booking agent for coach trips.

She opened Sutcliffe Travel in Bridge Gate in 1975 until it was taken over by Travelworld in 1996.

In the early 1970s, Mrs Sutcliffe helped to organise a successful campaign to persuade the former Hebden Royd Urban Council to abandon plans for redeveloping the St George’s Square area of the town.

When she lived at Charlestown, Hebden Bridge, Mrs Sutcliffe was on the committee of Hebden Bridge Junior Band, the Hebden Royd Swimming Pool Committee and the Calder Valley Junior Theatre Group.

She stood unsuccessfully for election to Calderdale Council in 1987 as a Conservative candidate for the Calder Valley ward.

Mrs Sutcliffe had been living in Rochdale and her funeral will be held at Rochdale Crematorium on Thursday at 3pm.