TRIBUTES have been paid to a victim of the Jordanian bus crash whose funeral will be held in York tomorrow.

The Rev Isabel Stuart, minister of Heworth Methodist Church where Hilda Brisby worshipped, said Miss Brisby was known as Topsy to her many friends at the church.

She said: "Topsy was a woman of character and substance. Her sense of adventure took her around the world and she delighted people with her slide presentations on her return. Many people here said that she has died doing something she loved.

"She had longed to visit Petra and has done so. Her Christian commitment was exercised through pastoral care within the church community and caring for those less fortunate than herself in the wider community.

"We at Heworth Methodist Church will miss her, not just for the roles she so faithfully undertook but for the person she was; friendly and forthright with a great sense of humour."

Miss Brisby was one of four York pilgrims who died when their tour coach burst a tyre and collided with an oncoming pick-up truck on October 28 during an eight-day visit to Jordan.

A funeral for Dunnington couple Jean and Owen Dale, both in their 60s, who were also killed in the accident, was being held today at St Nicholas's Church, Dunnington, where they were both members.

Updated: 10:04 Tuesday, November 16, 2004