Tributes to ‘the face of Cleethorpes Dance Festival’
Tributes have been paid to Sue Regan – the face of Cleethorpes Dance Festival – who died on 29 September, 2008, after a long illness.
Sue (60), who lived in the resort with her partner of 25 years, Mick Bryant, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease in October 2006.
Known and loved by hundreds as the organiser of Cleethorpes Dance Festival, she passed away in her sleep on Monday after bearing the illness with "dignity and courage".
Sue took over responsibility for the festival in 1979, when she became entertainments officer for Cleethorpes Borough Council.
In her role, she organised many of the resort's best-loved events including the carnival parade, marching band championships, bowls and darts championships and crazy week, and became a trustee for Cleethorpes Memorial Hall.
She left the job in 1996, when North East Lincolnshire Council was formed, and despite being very ill, organised her last dance festival in April this year.
A memorial trophy in her name is being created for a new category at the festival, and local dance teachers are organising a concert at the end of this month to raise funds for the memorial hall – according to Sue's wishes.
Mick – who first met Sue in 1984 on a night out in Cleethorpes – said: "Her heart and soul was in Cleethorpes – the dance festival, the carnival, the memorial hall... it all ran through her veins.
"The carnival achieved the tag of the largest parade in Europe because of all the hard work Sue put into it.
"While she was very academic, she didn't hesitate to roll her sleeves up – she would always muck in and lead by example, and she gained a lot of respect for that."
She leaves her brother John (58), stepdaughters Sally and Louise, grandson William (14) and nieces Sammie (14) and Alexandra (10).
Her family thanked Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, St Andrew's Hospice and Eaton Court nursing home, Grimsby, for their care.
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