GOLDSMITH, charity and school supporter, Joyce Lowe, has died at the age of 99.

Margaret Lowe, known to friends and loved ones as Joyce, was born in Chester and won an open scholarship at the age of 14 to read music at St Martin's in London.

Following education, she had a change of career path and went to work for the family silver business, Lowe and Sons, alongside her younger brother, John Foulkes Lowe, an acknowledged authority on antique silver.

Although the family were protective of the identity of their clients, stories over the years have included the Queen, prime minister, William Ewart Gladstone, Winston Churchill and Pope Paul VI are believed to have been recipients of silverware purchased from the firm.

Joyce was elected as the first lady member of the Chester Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths since it was founded in the 14th Century, before she moved to Switzerland to help the founder of Aiglon College, an international boarding school.

She lived there for several decades and is credited with playing a fundamental role in the school's direction and the cultivation of their alumni from across the globe.

Eventually she chose to move to Bournemouth to retire, having never married, and became a member of the Punshon Methodist Church in Bournemouth. She was also part of the Wesley Guild, a fellowship of men and women of all ages established by the Methodist Church over a century ago and served as the guild's music secretary for 15 years, as well as the chairman for five years.

She also supported The League of Friends of Royal Bournemouth Hospital and is believed to have helped to raise a considerable amount of money for the cause over the years.

Joyce died on December 19 and her funeral will take place today at Richmond Hill St Andrew's Church in Bournemouth town centre at 3pm, with donations going to the RNLI.