Tributes to 'inspiring' baroness who has died

Baroness Massey has died at the age of 85

Tributes have been paid to an "inspiring" baroness after it was announced she had died at the age of 85.

Baroness Massey of Darwen, a Labour member of the House of Lords, had been diagnosed with cancer before her death on 20 April.

Elevated to the House of Lords in 1999, Doreen Elizabeth Massey was known for the key role she played in an 18-month parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of children by the police.

Her husband of 58 years, Dr Leslie Massey, described his wife as "an amazing woman".

'Calm but firm'

Baroness Massey was raised in the town’s Lynwood Avenue and went to Darwen Grammar School, where she was head girl.

The mother-of-three went on to become a teacher and later the director of the Family Planning Association from 1989 to 1994.

A patron of Humanists UK, Baroness Massey was also a vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group and was on the Lord Speaker's Advisory Panel on Works of Art.

Dr Massey said: “She was an amazing woman. Always calm but firm.

“Her favourite job was teaching ‘difficult’ adolescent girls. She was passionate about learning.”

Baroness Massey has been described as an "inspiration"

Birmingham University graduate Baroness Massey and her all-party parliamentary group for children held an 18-month parliamentary inquiry in 2014 into the treatment of children by police.

It gathered data from 43 police forces and found that police forces did not have the right age appropriate procedures and practices in place for dealing with children and young people at the time.

In 2010 she played a key role in changing the Child Poverty Bill to recognise the role of grandparents.

As well as her husband, Baroness Massey leaves behind a daughter and two sons.

Julie Gunn, head of education at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said she was an "inspiration to us all" while her predecessor, Maureen Bateson, described her as "a great campaigner for the rights of others".

She taught in Africa, the US and London from 1989 to 1994 and also wrote a novel called Love and Death in Shanghai.

Ms Gunn said: “Her work on social justice, inclusion and challenging discrimination is something that we should all be grateful for.”

Sir Jake Berry, Rossendale and Darwen MP, said: “We may have come from different sides of the political spectrum, but I know she was proud of her Darwen origins and had a long career of public service both in the House of Lords and before.”