Goodbye gran: Great-grandmother remembered with wreaths of favourite things

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So when the great-grandmother died at the age of 82, the clan made sure she was well supplied at her funeral.

Instead of the conventional wreaths, they prepared an extraordinary set of floral tributes to mark Mrs Crang's favourite things.

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Kathleen Crang was honoured by her family

One wreath featured a cup of tea and chips

"She has bonbons and chocolate eclairs, her favourite sweets," said her daughter Yvonne Britton. "And someone made a handbag, because she always used to ask, 'Where's my handbag?'."

Mrs Crang, from Darlington, had 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

She was renowned in the town for having run the Premier Cafe in North Road, which stayed in the family until 2003. Her husband Seymour died 25 years ago.

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For the matriarch, a floral pram

Not a dry eye in the house for the late Mrs Crang

Among the home-made tributes created from artificial flowers for yesterday's service was a plate of fish, chips and peas complete with knife and fork, half slice of bread and butter and cup of tea on its saucer.

There was also a pram to mark her large family, a box of Kleenex tissues, bag of salt & shake crisps, purple wrapped chocolate eclair and a pen-shaped wreath containing the words "Where's me pen, Kathy?" a refrain often heard around her house.

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A crisp bag made of carnations

In addition there was a horse's head, because she enjoyed a flutter on the races, a bottle of lemonade and a 5ft version of Blackpool Tower, symbol of her favourite resort.

Mrs Britton added: "Her granddaughter, Victoria, who was also her full-time carer, made a ring box to remember the time last year in Blackpool when mum dragged her round in the pouring rain looking for a heart-shaped ring."

Sweet memories: A giant version of her favourite, a chocolate eclair

Kathleen left behind 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren