Tributes have been paid this week to a stalwart of llkley Playhouse who died suddenly at home on Sunday.

Pat Dyson was a well-known Ilkley resident and a long-serving assessor for the Wharfedale Festival of Theatre.

She was born in Sheffield, attended Penistone Grammar School and her love of singing began when she joined her local chapel choir. While working as a secretary she met her husband Alan and early in their marriage they moved to Formby, where Pat joined the local amateur drama club.

They moved to Ilkley in 1972 with their children, Claire and Grant, and almost immediately Pat joined the Ilkley Players where her versatility and talent established her as a leading light. Her Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly is a lasting memory for many.

As well as appearing in a large variety of roles in plays and musicals, she was a creative and inventive director and used both these skills with other local societies including Ilkley Operatic, Bingley Little Theatre and Potato Room Players at the City Varieties, Leeds.

Her first love, however, was the Ilkley Playhouse, where she was a moving force, giving unstintingly of her time on various committees and fundraising.

Much of her hard work has helped to achieve the reputation the Playhouse enjoys today.

She also ran the Saturday morning classes for more than 35 years where children learned theatrical skills and, more importantly to Pat, gained confidence in themselves.

Her other passion was Ilkley’s Oxfam shop where she worked when her children started school. She soon became volunteer manager and held the position for 25 years. Her creativity and shrewd business acumen – such as designer label sales and fine linen sales – greatly improved the profits.

Two of her oldest friends at the Playhouse, Malcolm Pinder and Kay Vann, said she would be sorely missed, especially by the hundreds of children who attended her fun-filled Saturday morning classes They said: “Pat was a one-off with a warmth of personality and generosity of spirit. This will be the legacy she leaves to her beloved husband, children and adored grandchildren.”