TRIBUTES have been paid to a remarkable Poole woman who devoted her life to helping children.

Active Astrid Filliter died while swimming in the sea last week, just weeks away from her 90th birthday.

And as president of the Poole branch of Save the Children Fund, she still regularly stood outside stores with a collecting bucket and held fund-raising events at her Parkstone home.

She was a founder member of the Poole branch of the charity, started just after the war, and in 1999 received its award for Distinguished and Meritorious Service from the Princess Royal.

In tribute a statement from the charity praised her "long life packed full with humanitarian work for children".

It added: "Astrid was a true hero and will be greatly missed by her many friends and acquaintances within Save the Children."

Astrid Dora Filliter was born in Bergen, Norway, the daughter of a diplomat, who had a family home in Parkstone.

She drove an ambulance during the Second World War and did secretarial work with a children's charity getting Jewish children out of Nazi Germany.

She became involved with Save the Children and in September, 1944, travelled to Egypt and then Greece to work with child victims of war. There the team set up feeding centres, mother-and-baby clinics and day nurseries for children under school age.

In an interview with the Echo in April she recalled that what she enjoyed most was setting up summer camps for undernourished children.

Returning home in October 1946 she worked for Dorset County Council's newly set up Child Guidance Service for 25 years.

Astrid never married and after both her brothers, Leslie and John, died she looked after her parents.

"She had a great sense of duty and service and she was very close to the church of St Peter's, where she's having her service," said her cousin, Ronald Hoare.

Appropriately enough her funeral was taking place today on a Save the Children flag day at 12 noon, St Peter's Church, Parkstone.