Fundraiser Jane loses cancer battle

Friends, family, politicians and the charities that benefited from the £1.75m raised by Mrs Tomlinson through a series of endurance events honoured her courage and spirit after news of her death emerged.

Mrs Tomlinson's family said they were "heartbroken" at the death of the wife and mother, who died at St Gemma's Hospice in Leeds at 9pm on Monday.

And Prime Minister Gordon Brown described the mother-of-three as a "daily inspiration" with "amazing spirit and strength".

Mrs Tomlinson, 43, from Rothwell, Leeds, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990 and had a mastectomy and lymph nodes removed from under her arm.

The cancer returned in her breast in 1993 and spread to her lungs and bones in 2000, when doctors told her she only had months to live.

But Mrs Tomlinson defied the experts and spent the next seven years of her life raising money for charity through challenges such as marathons, triathlons, a tandem cycle ride from Rome to Leeds and a 4,200-mile bike ride across America, from San Francisco to New York.

She was awarded an MBE for her work in June 2003 and a CBE in June this year.

In a statement, her husband, Mike, and children, Suzanne, 21, Rebecca, 19, and Steven, 10, said: "As a family we are humbled to have lived with such a great person who we will always love."

Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity helped by Mrs Tomlinson, said: "Jane was a remarkable woman whose amazing physical feats inspired many people living with cancer."