A WOMAN who sparked a campaign to raise funds for Alzheimer's Support in Wiltshire has died.

Andrea Staniforth, 59, died on Saturday, July 3 just days before events kicked off in Trowbridge to fulfil her dying wish.

After learning in April she only had a short time left to live, Mrs Staniforth urged her friend Sally Boyle, of the Starry Eyes Performance Foundation in Westbury, to raise funds for the Trowbridge charity.

Mrs Boyle said: "It has come as a complete shock, even though we knew Andrea didn't have long left to live.

"Sadly, Andrea died a week before the first event for Andrea's Last Wish for Alzheimer's Support.

"I think we did her proud on Saturday at our first event and, if that's anything to go by, we will do her proud with all the events which are being held in her memory for Alzheimer's Support.

"It's just such a pity she couldn't be there. She wanted to be involved so much and she wanted to do a speech at the event to thank everybody in person."

Mrs Boyle has other fundraising events planned at the Bandstand in Trowbridge Town Park on August 7 and 21, and on September 11.

On September 25, there will be showing of the Spitfire Film at Trowbridge Town Hall to raise funds for the charity.

So far, several hundred pounds have been collected, including £468 from a cake sale at Little Mitchells Farm in Seend.

Mrs Staniforth, a former office worker for Alzheimer's Support, was told on April 9 she had brain tumours and lung cancer and was given less than a year to live.

One brain tumour was removed in Sheffield on June 8 but during the operation the medical team found another smaller one.

Mrs Staniforth's funeral is at the West Wiltshire Crematorium in Semington on Thursday (July 15). Under the current Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, only a few close family and friends will be allowed to attend.

She worked for Alzheimer’s Support in Trowbridge and supported many Starry Eyes Performance Group events, as well as providing costumes and props for shows at the Athenaeum Centre in Warminster.

One of the songs to be played at her funeral is the Road to Freedom from the musical show Bad Girls performed by the Warminster Masqueraders Theatre Group at the Warminster Athenaeum Centre.

The Masqueraders Theatre Group has also offered to put on a fundraising performance of the Bad Girls musical on the Trowbridge bandstand.