TRIBUTES have been paid to a tireless campaigner for flood defences in a Ryedale town, who has died at the age of 92.

Howard Keal, of the Pickering Flood Defence Group, described Topsy Clinch, who was also a member of the organisation, as a “wonderful inspiration”.

Topsy, whose efforts to raise awareness of the effects of flooding earned her a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2008, travelled to London that year to present a petition to the Government, urging it to set aside money for flood defences for Pickering.

Mr Keal said: “Topsy had a tremendous fighting spirit. At 92, she was planning a trip to the Amazon as her latest adventure and nothing was too much of a challenge.

“Topsy always came out smiling, however tough things were and went all the way to the top in the battle for flood defences for the town.”

Topsy, who lived in Beck Isle, Pickering, qualified in general nursing at Leeds General Infirmary in 1940 and later became a theatre sister at the old Purey Cust Nursing Home in York.

She performed the same role at the former military hospital in Fulford Road, York, but also became involved in a very different kind of theatre, appearing on stage with York Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society, now York Musical Theatre Company, and later with Pickering Musical Society.

Her home was frequently open house for coffee mornings in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Topsy was the victim of flooding on numerous occasions. During the week of her 90th birthday, her house was among 100 homes and businesses devastated by water.

A year later, she set up a “living room” in Pickering Beck to highlight the impact flooding had on homes.

Mr Keal said Topsy was at the heart of the campaign to protect Pickering.

He said: “Topsy loved life and wasn’t fazed by anything – even sitting in the middle of the river on a settee to underline what it was like to be flooded.”

Mary Croot, also of Pickering, knew Topsy for more than 30 years. “She was a very, very good friend and neighbour,” she said. Topsy died at home on December 28 after suffering from a short illness.

She is survived by her daughter, Ann Leigh, grandchildren Katharine and Oliver, and great grandchildren Harrison and Luke.