SHE raised £75,000 to help disabled children and young people during 20 years of unwavering support for the Rose Road Association. 

Tributes have been paid to charity ambassador Janice Peirson, who has died aged 82.

Jan, who was also a familiar face at the Daily Echo and Mayflower Theatre, was considered part of the Rose Road family, organising an array of fundraisers over the years.

READ MORE: Farewell to a legendary barber of decades, Saints steward and cribbage captain

Beth Rogers, from the charity, said: "There is something funded by Jan in every corner of Rose Road. As we speak there will be children and young people using hoists Jan has funded, playing with toys and having fun, baking and playing games in rooms she has created. They will go to sleep tonight in beds Jan has funded and have their breakfast tomorrow at tables she has bought.

"Jan had an amazing ability to bring people together and to get more out of you than you ever thought you wanted to give!

"Jan’s magic knack for people was something to behold. We will miss her terribly."

She was born in Southampton in 1940 to Doug and Vera Webster. Her brother Richard followed three years later.

Daily Echo:

After schooling at Bitterne infants and juniors and Sholing Girls School, Jan started work at the Southern Evening Echo as an administrator for the Company Secretary in 1955, one of the first people to occupy the rebuilt offices in Above Bar after the bombing during the war. She worked there until her retirement at the age of 60, returning between 2001 and 2016 to help with Find The Ball and roadshows.

Jan, who lived in Sholing, also worked as a dresser and chaperone at Mayflower Theatre for 26 years, meeting many stars of stage and screen. A seat in the auditorium is now dedicated to her memory.

A ballroom dance champion, she met her husband Bryn during a Butlins trip. They wed in 1966 and were happily married until Bryn's untimely death at the age of 54.

Jan loved line dancing and travel, visiting America, and enjoying many cruises over the years.

She attended the Queen's garden party in 2013 on behalf of the Rose Road Association.

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