Audrey was born on 12th June 1921 to Albert and Mary West, they lived at Horspath, Oxfordshire, for a while before the family moved to live in Chiswick and then Brentford, London. She was the eldest of nine children, seven girls and two boys, though the ninth, a girl, died when only a few days old. Audrey's father had died just before the youngest child was born and they were buried together. Being the eldest among eight children Audrey had to take on a lot of responsibility in bring up the family under the threat of impending war. This meant getting a job instead of pursuing her education in grammar school and she worked at the Cherry Blossom polish factory with secretarial duties. She always remembered that this job gave her an encyclopaedic knowledge of where places were in the country. Sadly her sister Edna died some years ago but her sisters, Jean, Jill and Margaret, and her brother Roy are still alive. Sadly sister Hazel, who lived in New Zealand, has since died and also brother Les.

Audrey's mother saw that the family attended Sunday School and from an early age Audrey had a firm Christian faith. It was at Severn Park Methodist Church that she met her future husband, John, in 1940, he being the organist there. They married in January 1941 and later moved to Stourport-on-Severn in Worcestershire where John worked as an electronics engineer in an essential job.

Audrey continued her church activities eventually settling down into the local Baptist Church where she made many friends. Her son David was born in October 1941, the picture on the service sheet was taken about two months earlier in August 1941. Later, when David was away a school in Shropshire, Audrey took a post as secretary at a large seed merchants based in Kidderminster, then as the head masters secretary at Stourport-on-Severn secondary school, which was then the biggest secondary school in Worcestershire. In those days she used to go back and forth on her peddle cycle and David remembers afternoons during the holidays spent riding with Mum in the wilds of Worcestershire, especially the Wyre Forest.

At home the marriage relationship with John was breaking up, eventually leading to divorce. During this time Audrey was greatly supported by her strong faith, but found life very difficult. In 1963 she remarried, to her neighbour Harold Bourne, having supported him greatly during the final illness of his first wife. Harold was superintendent of the gas kilns at a local factory making industrial ceramics and was nearing retirement. In 1965, following Harold's retirement, they sought out a smallholding as Harold was from a farming family and had always kept animals in a small way. Eventually they found Bickenhill in Porthallow and set up there with a small herd of jersey cows, some goats, hens and for a while rabbits, and also a few horses. But it was the ducks which were Audrey's favourites, as many folk will know. Sadly Harold died in December 1980 after a long work related illness during which Audrey nursed him constantly.

During these years Audrey kept up her church activities, now back in the Methodist tradition as the nearest Baptist Church was too far away. Together with her great friends Bella Rowe and Barbara Wright she was a staunch supporter of Porthallow Methodist Chapel and for a time took up lay preaching. Sadly the Chapel eventually had to close and Audrey began to worship at St. Keverne Methodist Chapel.

Soon after Harold's death Audrey contracted breast cancer but, praise the Lord, this was cured, however it involved many trips up to the hospital in Plymouth. This experience helped her empathise with others suffering this dreadful complaint. This illustrates a great aspect of her personality as she was always ready to impart a comforting or uplifting word, even to folks passing by as she tended the flower bed at the front of her house. People would often comment how blessed they felt after meeting her.

Eventually Audrey found the garden of Bickenhill was too much work, she never really liked gardening and found that brambles would always make a beeline for her arms! Thus she sold Bickenhill and moved to Pencarrow in Lemon Street, St. Keverne. Continuing her allegiance to the Methodist Chapel and becoming a steward for a time and continuing with lay preaching while she could. In preaching and also in her contribution to house groups people found that she brought great clarity of thought and illumination to the subject.

Always a very generous person both in material needs and in the spirit Audrey reflected the grace and compassion of her Lord. She took many opportunities to speak to people about her faith and the Lord Jesus, for instance when in the eye hospital for cataract removal she readily explained her beliefs to the lady in the next bed. She always took a great interest in the extended family, the many nieces and nephews and their children and of course her own grand children Catherine and Andrew, and was very pleased to have Catherine and her partner Damian visit her. The various birthdays were always marked on the calendar and cards sent at the appropriate time and presents sent at Christmas.

During her latter years, as her friends will know, Audrey suffered severely from the effects of osteoporosis and was very bent over which caused her much distress, however she tried to keep cheerful. Lately she has been subject to falls which made here very nervous of going out so was confined to the house. Also failing eyesight added greatly to her difficulties. She enjoyed watching the television, especially Count Down, where she would try to out do the contestants in finding words, in fact word puzzles were a particular interest while she was still able to do them.

Sadly in the later months she found life more difficult and the loss of her friends Bella Rowe, Barbara Wright and Zeta Pearce particularly affected her. Audrey's great faith in the grace and salvation of her Lord and master Jesus Christ sustained her and she wanted to join her friends in the presence of the King. During the last months her mental and physical capacity began to deteriorate until sadly it was necessary for her to take a place in Polventon Care Home where she received such loving care in her last days as she quickly faded into the Lords hands.

Big Sister- Being such a large family we have always been family conscious, wanting our own space but always appreciating the memories of what held us together. With our father dying when most of us were quite young our eldest sister was the Big Sister that stood in for Mother's right arm. She was the inspiration for academic endeavour and improvement on what we were or might be. If there were fights it was usually over who was to be the first to read a book received or borrowed from the library. Or listen to the seemingly high brow programmes on those early days of wireless. It is a pity that circumstances kept her from attending the Grammar School.

In those early days of our childhood she was very conscious of the way we were brought up and in the first short story she had published in the 'House and Gardens' (or was it 'House and Home') she wrote about the superstitions Mother brought us up on. She introduced us to Dorothy Sayers and CS Lewis, Malcolm Muggeridge and others which gave us an insight into her own Ethics and Faith that was with her all her life. This grounding has affected the individual direction of all of our lives.

When Audrey moved down to this beautiful part of Cornwall and after mother died our Big Sister became even more the person who held us together, allowing us to share, in visits, the beauty and contentment of country life which she had established herself in. Her generosity provided for us all, and our children, and even our grand children, which must have been tiring at times. When one looks at the diversity of careers and professions we brothers and sisters went into – teaching, nursing, hospital administration care and catering, lay preaching and a little missionary work the influence of Audrey's character and example can be seen .

We are sad about the pain and suffering she had to bear in her latter days. We are happy in the knowledge that she is now in that peace which passes understanding. She has left us with many memories which we will share in our own Memorial get together and which will bind us together for the rest of our lives.

When Mum first went in to Polventon Care Home she asked to have The Wind In The Willows read to her. This is a favourite story of mine too and one of my best loved chapters is called Piper at the Gates of Dawn as I read this chapter I discovered that she had marked the very passage that I too thought significant. The story concerns two friends, Mole and Ratty, who live together on the river bank. They have a particular friend, Otter, who in this chapter is very concerned about his son Portly who is missing. The two friends have got out the boat on a summer night and are searching for Portly when they are drawn by the sound of pan pipes to a river island, we take up the story as they come to the centre of the island after the music has stopped.

May I just add a few words of a more personal nature. As you have heard from the Family testimonial mother's faith and example was a great influence on them and their lives. It is perhaps inevitable that the same would apply to myself. Being brought up with such close connections to church life I have always had a belief in a supreme and loving God. Of course I have wandered from the way, as I guess all of us would acknowledge, but mum's prayers and influence have always been there in the background. Although mother was very active in her church work her faith was not based on what she did but relied entirely on the grace of God poured out on us through the cross of Jesus Christ. I have for many years shared the firm conviction that she held and that is expressed in the following words by the apostle Paul.