TRIBUTES were paid to a woman who loved organising, fundraising, her family and her community at a service to celebrate her life, held at Cheriton Fitzpaine Methodist Church.

Ellen Sanders (formerly Webber) was born Ellen Matthews in Kenwyn Nursing Home, Crediton on April 3, 1947.

She had a very happy childhood in Newton St Cyres and attended Newton St Cyres Primary School and Hayward's School in Crediton, continuing her education at East Devon Technical College where she learned shorthand, typing and office skills.

Her first job was with F.D. Newcombe, an electrical and radio wholesaler.

She met and married Dennis Webber from Cheriton Fitzpaine and they moved to Landboat View, Cheriton Fitzpaine, where their two daughters, Karen and Nicky were born.

When Nicky was two-and-a-half the family moved to Cherry Meadow, also in the village, and they continued to live and bring up their daughters there, until they parted in 1990.

Ellen was always involved in village life, running the Pre-school and Playgroup and was a founder member of Cheriton North Women's Institute, the forerunner to CLEO, Cheriton Ladies Evening Organisation.

When she first moved to the village she was approached by Jean Carr, who was starting a Sunday School at the Methodist Chapel.

She helped from then on and it ran for 25 years with Jean and others. During those years much fundraising was accomplished, building what is now the Thorne Room, kitchen and disabled toilet.

The Chapel was always a big part of Ellen's life.

The Agency was started as a fundraiser, again with Jean, and ran for almost 30 years, raising many thousands of pounds for the Chapel building and other organisations.

Ellen had previously helped at the Sunday School at Newton St Cyres, before she was married there to Dennis.

The Cheriton Chapel members, for many years, took a group of young people to Haytor on Dartmoor for the East Sunday Sunrise Service and it was often very cold and frosty for the barbecue that followed the service.

The Methodist Association of Youth Clubs was attended in London with Exeter groups and Ellen went with the young people and helped with the show in the Royal Albert Hall, where many danced and even appeared on tv – happy times.

She was a parish councillor for 20 years, many as chairman and lately as vice-chairman.

She loved organising, barbecues at Coddiford for the Parish Hall and village celebrations for royal occasions, two village photographs after teas and a party for the village for 200 and 400 people respectively.

Other fundraising included cheese and wine evenings for the Parish Hall and Ellen was secretary of the Playing Field committee when it purchased Jack's Acre for the children of the village.

She worked for Bill Blight in the village for 13 years and then returned to full-time work with Stags Estate Agency in Exeter for another 10 years before moving to work at Crediton and District Community Transport.

Ellen was passionate about helping the elderly and frail with transport, getting them to appointments and home again, also helping raise funds for the transport service.

Early in 1990 she and Dennis parted and she then started travelling.

In 1991, with Ray Sanders, their first holiday was to Jersey and Guernsey, where they met long-time friends, Brian and Pat from Lichfield.

Their first long journey was to Australia, where they both had family but other countries visited after that time included Turkey, Cypus, Malta, the Greek and Balearic Island, and also to Holland, Belgium and Germany with Ilfracombe Male Voice Choir.

With friends they went to America, Canada and favourite of all, a Norwegian coastal voyage.

In 2010 on their second trip to Norway, they went up to the North Pole, but when they got back to Oslo they found all the airports closed because of the Icelandic Volcano eruption.

They stayed in Oslo for four more nights but Ellen used her computer skills to find a way for them to get home, travelling by boat to Denmark, train to Germany (on a train which drove onto a ferry!), then on to Belgium, France and passage to Dover.

On her return, Ellen went to sort out some washing and fell down the steps, damaging her knee. It gave her some problems, but she never complained.

In later years when Ray joined a Welsh choir, they travelled to China and Hong Kong, the couple also enjoying visits to Krackow in Poland, France, Vienna, Slovakia and the Baltic States.

They enjoyed a visit to the beaches of Normandy and the choir also sang at the famous Pegasus Bridge and Hon Fleur.

Ellen became a Circuit Steward of the Exeter Coast and Country Circuit, and it was her suggestion of the name.

She was diagnosed with cancer in November 2013 but Ellen and Ray continued to enjoy short breaks away.

They were married 10 years ago last September, in America, with Ray's son, Glyn and family present, and celebrated with the family in Devon on their return.

Ellen enjoyed her computer, typing the "Cheriton News" for more than 20 years.

She enjoyed, mostly, spending time with her two daughters, Karen and Martin, Nicky and Steve and her grandchildren, Tegan, Tyler, Ethan and Ellie. They were a very close family.

She loved socialising and male voice choir singing, accompanying Ray who has sung with a number of choirs.

The family thank all the doctors and nurses in Cherrybrook and Yeo wards at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and the doctors and staff at Cheriton Fitzpaine practice for all the caring support and help they gave to Ellen.

Donations are being accepted to FORCE and Hospiscare, who were so good when Ellen was going through treatment.

These can still be made with A White and Sons, funeral directors, Albert Road, Crediton EX17 2BZ.