'A life steeped in music' - Staffordshire singer and folk club compere who sang with the stars passes away
'It was a life steeped in music right to the end' - Tributes to folk singer from Staffordshire who sang with the stars as she passes away.
Jean Ward, who was 91 ran two popular folk clubs in Cannock and Heath Hayes which attracted the likes of Billy Connolly, Jasper Carrott and Barbara Dixon and cut four albums - she also raised money for charity through her music.
She died of cancer last month and a celebration of her life will be held at her funeral on Thursday.
In 2013 at the age of 80 she auditioned for Britain's Got Talent and arrived at the Birmingham auditions in a wheelchair, having just had replacement knee and hip operations - despite that she got through to the next round, although didn't eventually appear on television.
Her daughter Amanda Martin was brought up singing alongside her mum in the Hazel Slade and Barrels Folk Clubs and inherited her mother's musical talent - the pair were making music together in Jean's later years,
She said: "Right to the end her musical friends were gathering around her bed and singing songs including her dear friend John Carver the businessman from Walsall and she did her best to join in, you could tell she was thrilled to see them all.
"The two folk clubs she helped run were legendary and as well as Jasper Carrott, Barbara Dixon and Billy Connolly who she all counted as personal friends, The Dubliners, Drowsy Maggie and UB40 all appeared.
"With Britain's Got Talent, she had passed up an opportunity to audition a few years before due to another operation and when she eventually went to the Birmingham heat she walked in and announced herself as "Granny Ward the bionic folk singer.'
"She was also the resident singer at Connaught Hotel in Wolverhampton and The Royal in Walsall, both owned by Lord Harmar-Nicholls, father of actress Sue Nicholls, who plays Coronation Street's Audrey Roberts
"But it is probably the two folk clubs in the Chase area she is remembered for and we had many great evenings there and so many acts which went onto great things, or some who were already big came through the doors - but everyone was welcome it was like that
"I would just like to thank everybody who visited mum in her last days, so many friends and performers from the old days and more recently, and also the carers who looked after her."
Jean's funeral will be held on Thursday at Cannock Chase Crematorium with a reception at The Ashmole Bowling Club in Hammerwich. Donations to St Giles Hospice will be taken in lieu of flowers.
The funeral will also be livestreamed with a Username 4017 and Password 231526
