Students have paid tribute to a much-missed teacher at a charity football match held in her memory.

Pupils, past and present, from Alec Hunter High School, Braintree, organised the match for English teacher, Annabel Ballantine-Woods who died in October last year of a cancerrelated illness.

Family, pupils, staff and friends were in the crowd yesterday t Braintree Football Club in Cressing Road.

The crowd paid £2 per head and the money raised will go toward Mrs Ballantine-Woods' memorial fund.

They were joined by her husband Steve Woods and 14year-old daughter Zoe.

Mr Woods, 49, who is is a teacher in Harlow, said: "The fact that they have organised this is fantastic.

"It's nice young people can do something like this without being prompted."

Mr Woods added: "What the school has done has been tremendous."

Teacher Lynn Campbell explained ex-year 11 pupils came up with the idea during their presentation evening in November last year.

She said: "I was surprised and quite touched when they suggested it it must be a measure of how much they thought of her."

Mrs Ballantine-Woods, of Atlas Court, Earls Colne, had battled illness for a long period of time before she died age 52.

Published Friday, May 2, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette