THE family of a mother and former headteacger have vowed to tick off an item on her bucket list in her memory.

Warm tributes have been paid to Sandra White, a former teacher at St Pius X Catholic Primary School and Sacred Heart Primary School, who died aged 60.

Her teaching career spanned more than 30 years until she retired because of health issues in 2012.

And the family of the mother-of-four say they will visit Portugal later in the year to swim with dolphins, an item on Mrs White's bucket list she had wanted to tick off before her death.

Paying tribute to her his mum, Joe White said: "She was such a caring person.

"She was the best mother I could have asked for and she would do absolutely anything for anyone.

"Even as I got older she always wanted to protect me."

Staff and pupils from the two schools she worked, gathered for her funeral at the end of last month.

Pupils gave her a guard of honour as her body was welcomed into Sacred Heart Church for the requiem Mass.

Headteachers from St Pius and Sacred Heart both spoke lead the offertory procession at the service.

"The support from the community has been amazing," Mr White "To receive kind words from teachers and ex-pupils was very touching for me to see how well-respected she was in the area."

She passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 15 following a long-term illness.

Her son said: "She was always positive right until the end.

"We had planned the holiday to Portugal in September to swim with dolphins but unfortunately, she didn't make it that long so we're all going to go in her memory."

Mrs White continued at Sacred Heart Primary School to lead choir practice and later served as vice-chair of governors at St Pius following her retirement.

She made knitwear for the children's charity Boxes of Hope to send to eastern Europe. She worked for the charity and helped provide thousands of boxes.

She married husband Alfred in 1985 and was mother to Joe, Vincent, Daniel and Anne-Marie.