People who were involved in the 2004 Skelton Festival will be as saddened as I was to hear of the sudden death of Diane Davies from East Harling.
   She was one of the most active people in the festival, dressing up, helping to run the events and playing a leading role in the production of the play Magnificence in the church.
  We have a memento of her performance on the re-make of the Betjeman film, where she is seen delivering a speech from the play, ironically a speech about the fleeting and changeable nature of life.
  She and her husband Clive produced the CD for the festival and made the Betjeman film. She also designed the excellent programmes for the Skelton and Local History Festivals.
  In addition, they produced my CD of The Flush Hall Murder, which appeared on the cover of 30,000 copies of a crime magazine and led to further orders for stories.
  Diane made a wonderful Lady Hamilton to my Lord Nelson during the Nelson bi-centenary; and she was full of ideas for the Thomas Paine bi-centenary in 2009.
  Despite being in ill-health she kept tap-dancing and throwing herself into projects. She was a dear friend and a warm, funny, affectionate woman who will be fondly remembered by all who knew her.

Basil Abbott
Diss Museum