PROMINENT Salisbury charity volunteer and journalist, Caroline Rippier, has died after a long and courageous battle against cancer. She was 73.

Although her charitable endeavours over many years included Samaritans and Home Start, she was probably best known locally for her work for the Journal.

She joined the newspaper’s editorial team in 1990 to take over and revamp the children’s page when it switched from the Salisbury Times into the Journal and proved extraordinarily successful.

Membership of the restyled Journal Gang grew into the thousands and the page was actually highlighted out as one of the major factors when the newspaper won national awards during the 1990s.

During more than 12 years on the newspaper, she also successfully underwent formal journalism training and became a valued member of the news team, covering a wide range of topics. After leaving the Journal, she worked in a freelance role for various publications.

Caroline, who was born in London, met Edward Rippier at Sheen Tennis Club in the early 1970s. They married and moved to Ford, near Salisbury, where Caroline worked at CoSIRA, later the Rural Development Commission. Her husband, a chartered quantity surveyor, spent much of his time commuting to Belgium and France project managing commercial property developments.

Later the couple moved to Frankfurt, West Germany, where their first son Jonathan was born. For the last three years of his time there, Edward ran his own practice. He then accepted a post with a major London property company and the family returned to the UK. Their second son, Oliver, was born in Salisbury in 1981.

The following year, the family were on the move again, this time to Australia where Edward took up a new role in Melbourne project managing Australia’s tallest building. Four years later, they returned to Salisbury for good.

Caroline became heavily involved with several charities, including Samaritans, Save the Children and Home Start. After suffering from cancer 20 years ago, she formed and ran her own charity, Face the Future, which was later subsumed some years later into the national charity Look Good Feel Better. It was to help people suffering from or recovering from cancer and brought comfort to countless people over many years.

She also took great interest in local affairs and became heavily involved in the Saintes and Xanten twinning groups, helped considerably by her facility with the French and German languages.

Her interests were numerous and varied, including natural history, horse riding, fashion, art, music, antiques, fitness, running and Jack Russell terriers, particularly her ever-present companion Wilma.

Caroline’s cancer returned in 2018 but she continued to live a full and busy life, despite the sometimes gruelling treatment she had to endure. She died in Salisbury Hospice and is survived by her husband and two sons, both of whom live and work in London.

In line with her wishes, the funeral is to be a private affair for family only. Donations in her memory may be made to Salisbury Hospice.

Friends and former colleagues are invited to attend a reception and thanksgiving gathering to be held at Sarum College in The Close, Salisbury, from 4.30pm on Friday, February 14.