A LOVING mother and popular cafe owner from the New Forest, Lisa Macklin-Palmer, has died while on a family holiday in Tenerife aged 43.

Born in Holbury near Southampton on June 26 1974 to parents Joy and Allister Macklin, Lisa always had a close connection to the New Forest and the family moved to New Milton when she was three.

Lisa attended New Milton Infants and Junior School before progressing to Arnewood. Throughout her childhood she was a keen dancer.

She first met her husband Antony when the pair were around the age of 14 and they were together ever since, getting engaged at the age of 19.

After leaving school, Lisa attended Brockenhurst Catering College and she also trained as a chef at the Cliff House in Barton-on-Sea.

Antony and Lisa wed in 1995 at the age of 21 at St Mary Magdalene Church in Old Milton.

Having worked at BEC Group at Gore Road for a number of years, Lisa joined Antony in running pubs together, starting with the Toby Carvery at Northbourne in 2002.

The couple went on to manage pubs all over the country, culminating in the chain’s Broadstairs establishment in Kent. Staying there for eight years, the couple oversaw the busiest Toby Carvery in the country serving 7,000 meals a week.

Antony said they enjoyed their time at the coastal town and it was where the couple had their two sons, Blayze and Dexter, who are now nine and seven respectively.

In 2013 the couple bought a coffee shop in New Milton.

Forest Edge on Station Road continues to be a popular stop in the town to this day.

Away from balancing her time running the cafe and being a mum, Lisa and Antony enjoyed travelling all over the world. This included many trips to the Caribbean as well as a memorable trip to Cancun in Mexico during the height of spring break.

“She was the best. Whatever the boys asked her she put her heart into it and she always did her utmost to make the kids happy and put them on the right track,” Antony said.

“Lisa always had a big smile, was always positive and never talked badly about people.”

Lisa passed away in hospital on January 12, aged 43 years while on holiday with her family in Tenerife from a suspected case of sepsis.

She is survived through husband Antony and sons Blayze and Dexter.

Her funeral will take place today at 12.30pm at The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, New Milton. Flowers are welcome and may be sent c/o Colin Hayley & Tapper Funeral Service, 51-53 Old Milton Road, New Milton BH25 6DJ.