A mother of two who died following two brave fights against cancer has been described as 'one in a million' by her heartbroken husband.

Lorraine Hedges, 40, pictured, died at her St Mildred's Road home in West Earlham with her husband Adrian by her side on Monday, July 25 – three years after first being diagnosed with breast cancer. The former Blyth-Jex School pupil, a mother to Emily, 18, and Grace, nine, never wanted to let anyone down and was helping children at Hethersett Junior School, where she worked as a teaching assistant, just four days before she died.

Despite her illness, she competed in the Race for Life at the Norfolk Showground twice, including in May this year where she finished the 5k course in a time of 1hr 20mins, walking the course behind her wheelchair.

Mr Hedges, 36, who is originally from London, has paid a touching tribute to the woman he first met after he got a job at Busseys where her brother Shaun used to work, and married her in Antigua in 2000.

He said: 'She was one of the kindest people you could ever meet. She would never not help anyone and gave so much devotion to her work and the children she worked with and to battling her cancer; she gave it 100pc and tried to raise money for cancer research which was close to her.

'She was just one in a million really. You don't get many people like that nowadays; she never stopped trying which made her special.'

Mr Hedges, an estimator in the body shop at Robinson's in Norwich, said her children had found it particularly hard to lose their mum at such a young age, but comforted by the fact that she was no longer in pain, but 'at peace'.

As reported in yesterday's Evening News, members of Mrs Hedges' family paid their own tribute to the former shop worker.

A funeral service will be held at St Faith's Crematorium on August 10. Family flowers only, but donations, if desired, may be given to Breast Cancer Care or Big C and sent c/o Ivan Fisher independent Funeral Home, Norton House, 17 Park Drive, Hethersett, NR9 3EN.

Do you want to pay tribute to a lost loved one? Call Peter Walsh on 01603 772326 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk