Linda was employed at the Quay in the 1980s, helping with publicity (no change there, then) alongside Steve Betteridge, who was at that time the technician at the Quay. They became a devoted couple, living together for many years and marrying in 2020. Our hearts go out to Steve, to Linda’s three children, grandchildren and to the rest of her close-knit family. Several are SDS members who will be reading this obituary.

Her first appearance for SDS was in 1989, appropriately in the pantomime. Linda loved the pantos and appeared in at least four of them. Her directorial debut was in 2004, bravely taking on Abigail’s Party, with Lucy Foster as the eponymous Abigail. The table below was drawn up with help from Tom Eddington and Mark Scanlon. It shows the record of her performances and directorial exploits but, of course, fails to capture all the work she did behind the scenes, particularly in working to keep the props store in some semblance of order, updating the archive after every production, and oiling the publicity wheels for so many years. She was also a member of the ‘Quaystone Cops’, whose reviews raised funds for the Quay Theatre from 1989 to 1995, alongside Mark Scanlon, Andy Smith and Phil Osborn.

In the mid-2000s she had her first brush with breast cancer, and it was this that returned in 2019 and ultimately claimed her life. To say that she fought this nasty disease would be an understatement.
She refused to give in to it, and was even overseeing poster production for Anne Boleyn just a day before being admitted into hospital for the last time. Our deepest condolences and warmest wishes go to Steve, Kerys, Liam, Matthew and all their family.

By Sara Knight

 

Photo shows Linda filming for No 1 Quay Cottage - a Christmas video made during the 2020 Covid 19 lockdown period