A kind-hearted mother and grandmother described as being the “backbone” of her beloved town’s annual carnival has died following a long illness.

Jane Bowell passed away earlier this month aged 74 with tributes being led by her colleagues and friends from the Whitstable Carnival Association.

She was a founder member of the group and also served as its secretary between 2018 and 2022.

Her meticulous note-taking and bright pink filing system, which is still in use today, and help on the committee to organise each year’s event earned her an amazing reputation.

Having spent much of her early life travelling between the UK and Nigeria, where her father was chief of police, it was Whitstable where Jane found herself at home.

She settled in the town in the 1970s and would never move again.

Her daughter Charlotte says the long trips she endured between Britain and Africa explain her unwillingness to leave Whitstable later in life.

Friend and fellow carnival committee member Chris Stone recalled stories about Jane.

He said: “She came to the town in the late 70s, finally settling down in Reservoir Road, where her second daughter, Rachel, was born.

“After that, she never wanted to go anywhere else - Whitstable was her home.

“Later her sister and mother also came to take up residence in the town.

“She had many friends. When she was pregnant with Charlotte she became involved with a bunch of young mothers who all gave birth at around the same time.

“She called them ‘the toddlers group’ and remained friends with them throughout her life.

“Charlotte remembers days on the beach and outings with the group, gangs of kids playing together, all having fun.”

Jane developed a passion and talent for photography and would often send pictures of landscapes to the Gazette for inclusion in the paper to share her love for Whitstable.

Chris added: “She kept a record of the changing of the seasons by photographing Rachel in front of the blossoms in her garden every year.

“She loved animals. She loved nature. There was a fox’s den at the bottom of her garden and she liked to watch the young cubs gambolling on her lawn.

“Later, when her illness had forced her into a care home, she took comfort from watching the world from her window: the passing of the seasons, spring blossom and autumn gold, squirrels at play in the branches, the flight of birds in the summer air.”

She particularly loved horses and Chris recalls how her house was filled with models of them lining “almost every shelf in her little bungalow”.

He described her as a “kind-hearted, generous, a loving mother and an indulgent grandmother”, adding: “She will be sorely missed by all those she left behind: her daughters Charlotte and Rachel, her son-in-law Wolfgang, her sister Sarah, and all the other members of her family.”

Nick Dent, chairman of the WCA, said: “Jane was a stalwart of the management committee from 2018 until her illness meant she was not able to continue her support.

“She helped us establish the new body.

“Jane was our backbone.

“She will be remembered fondly and will be a hard act to follow.

“Thanks Jane for all your help and support and know that the people of Whitstable have benefited from your endeavours.”

She passed away on November 6. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, December 18 at midday at Herne Bay Crematorium and all are welcome.