'Loving, kind and intelligent' - tributes to Sunderland diabetes campaigner Joan Carney, who has died aged 86

Joan Carney was a mum, grandmother, great grandmother who loved her family dearly.

She also had a passion for campaigning on health issues such as diabetes care and was a regular contributor to the Letters Page of the Sunderland Echo.

Joan was a member of the Diabetes Campaigners’ Network, and was always keen to ensure people with the condition had their voice heard, speaking out when she felt change was needed.

She spent her later years from 2015 living with her daughter Karen in Yorkshire but always had a fondness for Wearside and its people.

Today, Karen paid tribute to the ‘beloved mam’ who was ‘loving, intelligent and kind.

"She had lived and worked in Sunderland for the better part of her life, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother; telephonist and then teacher.“She loved the place and the people.”

Joan worked as a teacher at Hetton School, had diabetes and made her voice heard in the battle for the best treatments.

Karen said she had ‘great admiration for her campaigning for improvements to our NHS and diabetes care’.”

"She had diabetes and would regularly go to meetings around Sunderland for commissioning boards and scrutiny panels,” she told the Echo.

"She would have debates and write letters concerning diabetes care.

“She was always determined that her voice would be heard which is exactly what your Letters pages do for ordinary people. It is the people who drive this country, electing their representatives to speak for them and good reliable local newspapers play their part in doing just that. Joan always knew the right thing to do, she is dearly missed.”

Joan’s husband was Robert Carney who died in 1993 and had been production editor at the Sunderland Echo as well as sub-editor before that for many years He had also previously worked for papers including the Shields Gazette.

Joan passed away peacefully on July 25. Her family said her funeral would take place at Skipton Crematorium this week, which hopes for a larger memorial service in Sunderland when circumstances allow.

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