FRIENDS of a popular teacher who died in a diving accident off the coast of Ireland have raised hundreds of pounds in her memory.

A coffee morning in honour of Heather Schofield, 25, was held in Clitheroe Town Hall on Saturday morning, arranged by members of Ribble Valley Rotaract Club, which she was the president of when she died at Easter.

Nearly £300 was raised at the event, which will be passed on to Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley.

Club member John Garner said: "The event was very well attended.

"Members of Clitheroe and Ribblesdale Rotary Clubs attended as well as the Rotaract members from Ribble Valley and Blackburn.

"Heather meant a lot to us, and we were devastated by her death.

"She threw herself into everything with such vigour, and her enthusiasm knew no bounds.

"She did so much to help others, we felt it was only right to do something her memory.

"We may do other things in the coming months, but we don't know yet."

He added: "After her death, we cancelled our programme of events as a mark of respect. We are now beginning to do things again, which is what we think Heather would have wanted."

Heather died on Easter Bank Holiday Monday after getting into trouble while diving off the coast of County Kerry in Ireland.

A police investigation is continuing into the cause of her death.

She was a teacher at Moorland School, a boarding and fee-paying school in Clitheroe, and had moved there from Gawthorpe High School in Padiham last September.

A former Westholme School pupil, Heather had moved to Hurst Green last year.

Her mother Myra Schofield lives in Billington while her father Brian, who attended Saturday's coffee morning, lives in Accrington.