Mother of DJ Simon Bates dies, aged 89
The Shropshire mother of former Radio 1 DJ Simon Bates has died after a short illness.
Joan Bates, a horse expert who taught hundreds of people to ride at her school in the village of Tong, near Albrighton, was 89.
Her funeral will take place at Tong Church on November 21 at 2pm.
Mrs Bates, who died on November 6, ran the Tong Riding Centre and had lived in the village since the 1930s. Dozens of tributes have been posted on the entre's Facebook page.
Rob Sedgley, who was a pupil under Mrs Bates, said: "Joan set out to create an outstanding training facility in Tong, which came to be recognised as one of the best of its kind. Many people who knew her well will agree that her first love was teaching.
"She was a guiding light to her students, a devoted animal lover and proud mother."
Mrs Bates, a Cambridge graduate, was a life-long member of the Communist Party.
The family moved to the village from Cheshire. They first lived at Tong Hill Farm, and then Church Farm, which eventually became the Tong Riding Centre.
Mrs Bates graduated with a Master of Arts degree in geography in 1944 and took over the running of Church Farm when her father died in 1967.
She qualified as a British Horse Society instructor.
Mr Sedgley added: "To the end she remained intellectually alert and inquisitive and was a prolific reader."
