Dress code for the funeral

There isn't one! Wear what ever you feel comfortable wearing, black or bright colours, smart or casual (but I draw the line at naturism - it will be too cold!). Kath would not have cared and neither do we ;-) I only mention this as a few people have asked me.

Manchester Evening News notice

We placed a notice in the Manchester Evening News which appeared in Friday's paper. It is also available online at http://notices.menmedia.co.uk/9727243. There is the option online to leave messages and photographs.

Finally the proof of THE book has arrived

For more information about publishing progress, bookmark this site: http://kathfry.tumblr.com/

Ghyll Head launching the Kath Fry Award

The Friends of Ghyll Head has initiated the Kath Fry Award to mark her special role in promoting and preserving Ghyll Head. They had hoped that she might be able to be there when the award is launched at the presentation to the winners of the Millenium Challenge (which it will replace) on Monday 16th May at 1.45pm at Loreto High School in Chorlton. Sadly this will not be possible, but in a way this makes it even more of an appropriate recognition and memorial.

Funeral Arrangements

The date for the funeral is Friday 27th May.

The ceremony will be at 2pm at the Manchester Crematorium, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 7GZ (http://www.manchestercrematorium.co.uk/contact.htm)

Followed by a gathering at 3:30pm at the Woodstock Arms, 139 Barlow Moor Road, Manchester, M20 2DY (http://www.thewoodstockarmsdidsbury.co.uk/findus/) for people to chat, reminisce, eat and drink. There will be a pay bar with a provided buffet with tea and coffee.

Please note that the crematorium has a capacity for 100 people, so given that there may be a lot of people who wish to attend, please be aware that there may be some over spill and if it is likely to rain take appropriate precautions (it is Manchester... it will rain!).

Please remember that we do not want flowers and instead would like donations for the Friends of Ghyll Head. Please see http://www.justgiving.com/kath-fry/ if you would like to donate online.

We would like people to add to a memories book at the Woodstock Arms part so if you have any cuttings or written down memories or photos that you would like to stick into the book, please bring them along. I am adding to the photos online http://www.flickr.com/photos/dentonpotter/sets/72157626668680308/ as people send them to me and as I am scanning more.

Some pictures to remember

I am uploading some pictures to my flickr pages here. If anyone has information about any people who are also in the photos or when they were taken, please feel free to add comments to each one. Also please feel free to send me any photos you have that you think could go up there.

Sad News

Sorry to announce this way, but this is to pass the news as quickly as we can without too many phone calls. Kath sadly died on the morning of Thursday 5th May, in Accident and Emergency at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. She was very breathless in the night and we called an ambulance. The initial diagnosis was that she had a chest infection, which they thought would be fine to treat with intravenous antibiotics, but she went downhill very quickly and passed away at about 10:45am. Pete and I were both with her at the time. It was very quick and she did not have unnecessary prolonged suffering or pain. There will be a post mortem which the GP thinks will show that the cancer had spread and that was what the main cause of death rather than a chest infection.

I will post details of funeral once we have made arrangements. You can imagine we are naturally pretty shocked, since she had been reasonably well, although not as well as people might have thought from her upbeat blog. We cannot make any firm arrangements until after the result of the post mortem which will likely be late next week.

It seems fitting that Kath should pass away on election day and having cast her vote already by postal ballot. She would have been very pleased with the results in Manchester. Thanks to Cllr Hughes for his tribute to Kath - Newly-elected Gorton North Labour Councillor John Hughes added: “I am dedicating this victory to former Labour councillor Kath Fry who died of cancer yesterday.” (see here - last paragraph) and Councillor Peter Cookson for the same (according to Twitter).

Being Kath's children we'll be up front and ask you not to send any flowers or other gifts of condolence (well cakes are OK) but we plan to ask for donations instead to go to Friends of Ghyll Head, which was a cause very close to her heart. I have enabled comments for people with Gmail accounts on the blog, so we are happy if you wish to leave messages here.