TRIBUTES have been paid to the actress Kathy Staff, best known as TV battleaxe Nora Batty, after she died at the age of 80.

Kathy was born and raised in Dukinfield but found fame as the archetypal formidable Yorkshirewoman in the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine.

The mother-of-two died at the Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton, with her husband John at her bedside, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Dressed in her trademark curlers and wrinkly stockings, her character Nora appeared in 243 episodes of the show, starting with the first programme in 1973.

But, away from the TV screen, Kathy was a world away from the hard-faced Nora and was well known in her home town for her work with charities and the church.

Kathy also played nearly a dozen different roles in Coronation Street and appeared in Emmerdale Farm, Crossroads and with David Jason and Ronnie Barker in Open All Hours during an acting career which spanned 62 years.

Born Minnie Higginbottom on July 12 ,1928, Kathy first appeared on stage as a teenager and regularly performed in the theatre during her later years as a TV actress. She was baptised at St Mark's Church in Dukinfield and remained a member of the congregation throughout her life.

The Rev Alison Cox, Priest-in-Charge at St Mark's, said: "Kathy Staff was a much-loved figure in the Dukinfield area. Her death will be greeted with much sadness. She was held in great affection by all the parishioners of St Mark's and way beyond the boundaries of our church.

"Kathy was baptised in St Mark's, got married here and was, with her husband John, a member of the choir. We will miss her terribly. She was a very friendly and warm woman; faithful and generous.

"The whole nation will mourn her passing. By her work as an actress over the years she has brought so much pleasure to millions of people. Kathy and her surviving family are in our prayers at this sad time."

Rev Cox added: "Despite her illness she was in church up until a month ago and, despite being unsteady on her feet, she went into the kitchen afterwards to help the other ladies wash up after tea.

"She was a good natured woman who was very loyal to the church. Family meant everything to her. Her husband John was at her bedside, they were such a loving couple."

Last Of The Summer Wine producer Alan Bell said Kathy would be sadly missed and reminisced about how she tried to give Nora Batty a softer edge.

"She would play a scene quite gently, and I'd say, 'But Kathy, you've got to harden up, because that's who we all love, the hard, tough Nora Batty.'

"And she said, 'Why can't I be just soft and gentle at times?' And I said, 'Maybe some time we will.'

"She was such a good lady, she was religious, she would never do anyone any harm. But above all that, she was thoroughly professional."

He added: "We're distraught, but we have very fond memories of her."

In an interview with the M.E.N, Kathy once admitted she was baffled at why television audiences had so warmed to her portrayal of Nora Batty.

"I'm quite astonished by the way that old battleaxe Nora's become so popular," she said. "I don't think she could have been more horrible if she'd tried. Perhaps

it's those wrinkled stockings and curlers that turn people on."