THE husband of a beloved mother-of-three has paid tribute to his wife, a former teacher at a West Somerset school, who died suddenly.

Ann Hutchinson, 58, of West Quantoxhead, passed away on August 23.Ann was well loved by her community, and used to work at Danesfield School as a cover teacher.

Her husband, Simon, described Ann as a terrific person and a great mum.

He added: “She had a very positive outlook on life; she was a big part of the community. She just had time for everyone.”

Ann and Simon had been married for 37 years and had three children together – Andrew, Rachel and Michael.

Simon added that Ann loved to be outdoors and, as well as being a dedicated member of the Minehead Running Club, she loved to watch sports, especially rugby.

He said: “She was a keen rugby supporter and we travelled all over to watch the Six Nations and also the World Cup final in France and World Cup 7s in Dubai.

“We also trekked in the Himalayas a couple of times and Ann climbed Mount Kilimanjaro a few years ago.”

Ann was also a tireless fundraiser for the Down Syndrome Association, for whom she was a trustee for six years.

She was also heavily involved with Williton Twinning, where she was a committee member.

Nigel Johnson, head teacher at Danesfield, said: “Ann had a huge impact on Danesfield over the tenplus years she worked here, as a teacher, governor and our specialist science co-ordinator.

She was very well liked by pupils, staff and parents.

“She was someone who was always around and will be greatly missed.”

Nigel Ridler, from the Minehead Running Club, added: “Ann was a very valued member of our running club.

“She had been a member for at least 10 or 15 years and organised all our races for us, she was impeccably organised.

“She always turned up three times a week for practice; if Ann wasn’t there, you knew something was wrong.

“It was devastating news; my wife rang me and told me while I was out cycling and I honestly don’t know how I managed to cycle the rest of the way home.

“She was a good friend and it will be a hard day next Friday at her thanksgiving service.”

Simon added: “Ann was a great mum, her children were her life and what we’ll really miss about her is her sense of fun, adventure and her positivity.”

  •  A spokesman for the West Somerset Coroner said it was unlikely there would be an inquest as the cause of death was thought to be natural causes.
  • All are welcome to attend a thanksgiving service at St Decuman’s Church, Watchet, on Friday, September 12, at 1pm.