Tributes paid to Di Monaghan (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

Tributes paid to Di Monaghan

12:13pm Friday 15th February 2013 in Burnham By Matthew Colledge

TRIBUTES have been paid to well-known former Burnham woman Di Monaghan, who has died at the age of 57.

Di was the manager of Mind in Sedgemoor, a charity based in Rhode Lane, Bridgwater which offers advice and counselling to people with a mental illness.

In 2005, she was given a civic award by Burnham and Highbridge Town Council, in recognition of her work as chairman of Burnham’s BAY Centre.

Di, who recently moved from Burnham to Taunton, died suddenly at her home last Tuesday.

Lorna King, who worked with Di at Mind in Sedgemoor, said: “We used to hug each other in the morning and I used to have great jokes with her.

“It’s very sad. We are all stunned.

“She worked extremely hard and she has achieved so much here.

“There are so many groups here now. We’ve got a peer support group, a basic literacy group, beginners’ IT, ping-pong, a freedom programme for domestic abuse victims, a local history group, a creative music group – if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have set up these classes.

“We are thinking about changing the name of the Sunnyside Up Cafe here to Di’s Cafe or Di’s Sunnyside Up Cafe.

“We’ve got a book of condolence and remembrance here and we’ve decided to have a raffle at Easter, then we will decide what to do as a memorial.”

Di’s family said in a statement: “She will sadly be missed by her loving husband Tony, and children Carl, Tris, Tim and Sally.

“A celebration of Di’s life will take place at Holy Trinity Church, Bridgwater, on February 25 at 2pm.”