The death has been announced of Gillian Powell, an inveterate walker and cyclist who, with her husband Graham, “visited every coffee shop in Herefordshire” as retirement gave the Weobley couple the time to tour the county on their electric bikes - “but we did power them down sometimes,” says Graham.

Gillian, who trained as a nurse in Cardiff, left nursing when she and Graham had children Chris and Rebecca, later joining the staff of the Hereford Times, where she worked for 10 years, a much-loved member of the advertising team: Having retired in 2010, Gillian and Graham took the opportunity to continue the world wide travels they’d already embarked on when Gillian was at the HT – “We were always very envious of Gillian’s long-haul trips to places like Kenya and Nepal,” says Debbie Evans.

Gillian was diagnosed with a Grade IV brain tumour in 2015, and despite having it operated on twice, was, says Graham “very dignified throughout it all.”

Until the diagnosis, the couple’s passion for travel had taken them to South America, North America and frequent trips to Europe, often combining these with visits to Grand Prix events “We had a fantastic road trip when we went to the Hungarian Grand Prix in my red Porsche,” Graham recalls, adding that Gillian was less of a fan of motor racing than him, mainly “because she didn’t really understand it!”

But another memorable trip included one of Gillian’s passions – for horses – as a Canadian visit included both the Calgary Stampede and the Grand Prix.

There was never, says Graham, any big list of things to do, and “no regrets whatsoever. We had sorted our lives out, retired and travelled. And we had two grandchildren, so it felt that everything was ticked. I retired four years ago, which was a blessing and meant we could enjoy what time we had left.”

Last New Year, the family decided they really wanted to do something for Brain Tumour Research and daughter Rebecca, who lives in Sheffield, suggested the local triathlon, The Hathersage Hilly, which she, Graham and Chris then completed in July, cheered on by Gillian and raising £5,000 for the charity – “the cost of running the centre for one day.”

Gillian also used the time, Graham reports, to teach him some life skills that had passed him by. “I was a bit old-fashioned, so she trained me to use the computer and taught me how to cook!”

Gillian is survived by husband Graham, son Chris, manager of Hereford Raceway, the business Graham and Gillian built beside their Weobley home, daughter Rebecca, and grandchildren Freddie and Florence.

The funeral takes place at 2pm on Monday, November 6 at St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Weobley.

Family flowers only. Any donations will be shared equally between Brain Tumour Research and St Michael’s Hospice.