PHILIPPA Newnham - well known in Romsey for her work as a tour guide as well as a speaker to WIs and other societies - died last week, at the age of 65, from brain cancer.

In August Philippa was admitted to Southampton General Hospital, where she was diagnosed as suffering from viral encephalitis (a swelling of the brain). It later transpired this had been masking the cancer tumour.

She was in hospital for two weeks and since then had been at home recovering, her husband Rod, told The Advertiser.

"She was slowly recuperating and this was totally unexpected," he said. Philippa returned to hospital on Monday of last week and she died on Wednesday morning.

The Newnhams moved to Romsey in 1977 since which Philippa, had become an active member of Romsey Art Group, LTVAS and a keen supporter of King John's House. She also worked part-time at Romsey's Tourist Information Centre.

"She was more of a Romsonian than me and I was born in West Wellow," said Rod. "I am only now getting to grips with all the things she did." Philippa was born in Staffordshire went to school at Abbotts Bromley with long-time friend Christine Burgess, wife of former Romsey mayor John Burgess.

Rod and Philippa met in a guesthouse at Southampton, when Rod was on leave from the Royal Navy. The couple married on St Valentine's Day, 1973.

For over a decade from 1972 Philippa worked as a hair products consultant at Eastleigh-based cosmetics and pharmaceuticals company, Warner Lambert. When the firm moved its operations Philippa began a new career as a tour guide.

She became a qualified Blue Badge guide for Wessex and beyond and was also a qualified guide to Romsey Abbey, Stonehenge and the New Forest. This gave her the basis for her talks, the most famous of which was entitled "Follow the trail of a Royal corpse."

She could often be seen in the summer months driving her beloved, bright red, open-topped, 1963 Triumph Spitfire, which she christened Little. Philippa and Rod attended many rallies in the UK and abroad with their fellow enthusiasts of Club Triumph.

However, out of all her many hobbies and activities, Philippa's greatest love was gardening, said Rod and one of her favourite tour destination was Monet's garden in France.

The couple have one son, Christopher, from Philippa's previous marriage, and two grand daughters, Sarah, eight, and Lucy, five. Tragically their daughter-in-law died of cancer three years ago.

A burial service will be held at Woodley Cemetery on Monday morning (August 20th) to be followed by a service to celebrate her life at Romsey Abbey, starting at 12 noon.

Donations can be made to the medical charity Hope, care of funeral directors Cheaters.