Tributes have been paid to an avid fundraiser who was ‘the life and soul of any party’.

Josephine Enright, known locally as Jo, has died aged 72 following a long respiratory illness.

Jo ran the Lym-Zim Link charity in Lyme Regis which raised more than £140,000 for good causes in Zimbabwe between 2003 and 2020.

Jo was born in Highgate, north London and first visited Lyme Regis for a family holiday in the 1950s. Her mother and father retired to Lyme in the late 60s and lived on West Hill Road until they passed away. Jo moved to the town in 1998, along with her sister, Kate.

During its first seven years Lym-Zim supported the Westwood Cheshire Home for disabled children in the capital Harare, raising funds to equip the home’s bare physiotherapy room and later to build an entirely new residential block.

In recent years, the charity supported girls at the Emerald Hill School for the Deaf, covering the fees for children who might otherwise be unable to receive and education. It also helped to improve the living conditions of deaf children at the Pedro Arrupe Centre, a home for 25 children with hearing impairments in rural Musami, paying to install water and electricity at the home and replace the thatched roofs of various buildings.

Jo is survived by her three sons, Nathaniel, Jacob and Sebastian Gordon, and her seven grandchildren.

Sebastian said: “Those who knew her would say that our mum was a kind, compassionate person who devoted her life to boosting the opportunities of those less fortunate. She was also the life and soul of any party.

“Mum loved the years she spent as a volunteer at the Bridport centre for adults with learning difficulties [Bridport Connect] and she remained committed to fundraising for Lym-Zim even in the face of her failing health.”

Jo’s funeral will take place at St Michael’s and St George’s Catholic Church, Lyme Regis, at 10am on Friday, January 31, followed by a celebration of her life at Lyme Regis Power Boat Club.

In lieu of flowers, Jo’s family have asked for donations to be made to Lym-Zim via the church, following which the charity will close.

Those wishing to continue supporting the work of Lym-Zim can do so by contacting the Zimbabwe Dominican Sisters.