AUTHORESS Benita Moore - whose writing captured the hearts of her native East Lancashire - has lost her fight for life just a fortnight after being honoured with an MBE.

Benita was battling against cancer in Blackburn's East Lancashire Hospice when news came through of her honour in the Queen's Birthday List. She died on Sunday, aged 59.

The mother-of-two, affectionately known as 'Mrs Lancashire,' wrote 12 books and volumes of poetry on the days of the cloth caps and cobbles in her native East Lancashire and sold almost 30,000 copies.

Benita, of Rising Bridge Road, Haslingden, had undergone two mastectomies but the breast cancer had spread to the rest of her body.

A member of Accrington Cine Club and Oswaldtwistle Civic Society, she worked in the local studies department of Accrington Library, and had been a librarian for 43 years.

"I used to call her a living legend in her own lifetime!" said husband, Gordon, today.

"She had a driving personality and that's what helped her get so much done in life. Everyone in Lancashire seemed to know her." Gordon spoke of his 'loveable' wife who had a passion for Lancashire villages and for local wildlife, particularly birds.

The couple's two daughters, Penny, 29, and Heidi, 24, are taking part in a pre-arranged walk tomorrow in aid of cancer charities in Witton Park, Blackburn.

Benita's funeral will be held on Saturday. A horse-drawn hearse will leave the Chapel of Rest at Wolstenholme's, Accrington, shortly after 10am and travel along Charter Street, Pickup Street, Moscow Mill Street, Union Road and New Lane.

It will then pass the Brown Cow Restaurant along Haslingden Old Road as far as Rising Bridge to Benita's home in Rising Bridge Road, from where mourners will walk to St John's Church for the noon service.

Benita's favourite colours were purple and mauve and her family have requested that mourners attending the church wear an item of clothing or have a ribbon of that colour.

"She wouldn't have wanted people to wear black!" said her husband.

Family flowers only have been requested, with donations in memory of Benita to St John's Church, Stonefold.

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