CHARITY founder and long-term mental health worker Anne Gardner died on September 30, aged 86.

Mrs Gardner, née Abdy-Collins, began her life's work to improve provision of mental health care when her daughter Elizabeth (Liz) began to hear voices and was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17.

She had trained in healthcare at Guy’s Hospital in London between 1949 to 1953, and she went on to volunteer as hospital manager at St Ann’s in Poole for some 10 years before creating the Crumbs Project.

She was a member of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship and alongside close friend Pat Hutchison was involved in setting up a 'Home for Life' for people with enduring mental illnesses.

Charles House opened in Southbourne Road in 1992 but closed due to funding difficulties 10 years later.

This scheme led directly on to Crumbs - a purpose-built café set up to teach people with mental illness cooking skills - which received charitable status in 1997. Sadly her daughter Liz died of cancer at around the time the café opened.

The charity began life as a bakery in Southbourne, established as a day care project for the long-term mentally ill.

Its remit was gradually widened to include people with learning disabilities and stabilised addictions and before long it had expanded to include the bakery running a finger buffet service, as well as a café and sandwich delivery project, with outlets in Boscombe and Christchurch.

Now the project provides training to people with long-term mental illness, learning disabilities, stabilised drug or alcohol addictions, and head injuries, to give them an activity and improve their employment prospects.

For her work with Crumbs Mrs Gardner was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours, although she modestly told the Daily Echo: "I’m happy the work of Crumbs is being recognised in this way. We have an excellent team - it’s not just me."

Just three years ago she was still working for the charity, of which she was made honorary president. She saw the development of a pioneering project, in partnership with Bournemouth council, to provide elderly council tenants with hot meals.

She was married to George for 64 years and had three children, Andrew, Liz and Martin, as well as five grandchildren.

A thanksgiving service in celebration of her life is to be held at St Marks Church in Talbot village, on Friday, November 3, at 12noon, followed by refreshments in the church hall.