A much-loved nursery nurse who died of cancer at the age of 45 has been remembered in a sponsored spelling bee.

Tracie Taylor, who worked at The Alton School in Roehampton for 20 years, died suddenly of brain cancer on the first day of the autumn term.

The illness took hold over a space of just two months, beginning with headaches and back pains in July.

Headteacher Ruth Hudson said: “The whole school community went into shock. We were devastated for Tracie’s family and for ourselves.

“At The Alton we have a very strong staff team and managed to support each other through the initial stages of bereavement.

“I cannot begin to explain the pain that we were all in, however the staff continued to work hard for the children.”

The school in Danebury Avenue, where Ms Taylor’s daughter is a year 3 pupil, closed for the funeral and played host to a wake.

Now staff are fundraising in her memory, and since she was a passionate advocate of child literacy the spelling bee last Monday seemed apt.

The American-style competition challenged each child to spell a series of words right, and the joint winners were Sebastian Scott and Salma Hassan.

The children have been practicing their words since Christmas, and participated in class heats before the grand final.

Sponsorship money is still being collected, but half will be donated to Cancer Research and half will go towards a memorial garden.

The garden will be a quiet place with chimes and sweet-smelling plants, as well as a book area for pupils to read in peace.

Mrs Hudson said: “The overwhelming thing about Tracie was that she never had a nasty word to say about anyone.

“Her aim in life was to give children the best deal she could. That informed every decision.

“We have some disadvantaged people who have had bad experiences at school themselves. They knew that they could come to her and she would help them in any way she could.”