A woman used a regional daily to her announce her own death from beyond the grave – informing readers that she had “popped her clogs.”

Jean Hedley had prepared her own death notice to be printed in the Northern Echo in the event of her passing, and it was duly published after she died on 24 October at the age of 91.

The unusual and humourous self-obituary prompted the Darlington-based Echo to contact Mrs Hedley’s family, leading to a longer obituary being published in the newspaper on Thursday.

Mrs Hedley’s original death notice had contained an invite to her “send off” at Durham Crematorium on Wednesday.

She said: “Jean Hedley would like to say to all her loving family and friends that she has finally POPPED HER CLOGS and gone to be with Ted, her loving late husband who she has missed terribly for 25 years.

“Don’t be sad, she was ready, it was time to go. There are to be no flowers, no tears, no sad poems or hymns.

“Only smiles, happy memories and pretty colours at her send off in Durham Crematorium on Wednesday. Your love, support and kindness have been wonderful and I’ll miss you all.”

Reporter Flossie Mainwaring-Taylor followed up the notice and wrote the longer obituary for Mrs Hedley.

She told HTFP: “We spotted Jean Hedley’s obit in our death notices and thought she must have been quite a character to have that written and at the ready.

“As luck would have it she was. Jean had obviously touched many lives and her family couldn’t speak highly enough of her kindness, modesty and, unsurprisingly, humour.  It certainly raised a few smiles in our offices.”