A COUNCILLOR organised a charity tea party to honour the memory of her mum who died of ovarian cancer.

Maryse Iles was joined by members of the Castle Point Conservative Association to host a coffee morning at Hadleigh Conservative club, in the High Street.

Mrs Iles, who lost her mum Heather Roberts to ovarian cancer in January, was determined to raise awareness of the condition, which has a low survival rate because it is difficult to spot.

Mrs Roberts was 76 when she died, although she had been suffering with the symptoms of the disease like lower tummy pain, bloatedness and a feeling of fullness, for almost 20 years Mrs Iles said: “I’m really glad I’ve done this, it’s given me something to focus on and it’s such a worthwhile cause.

“A lot of women can carry it and just don’t recognise the symptons.”

Ovarian cancer is the biggest gynaecological killer and the fifth most common cancer in women in the UK, affecting around 6,600 women every year.

Because it is difficult to spot ,women often do not notice they have it and after five years the survival rate drops to just 40 per cent.

Rebecca Harris, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Castle Point, applauded Maryse’s efforts.

She said: “It is heart warming Maryse has been able to organise something so positive from her sad loss and we are both grateful to the Hadleigh Club for donating the club, free of charge”

The tea party raised about £200 and it will be split between Ovarian Cancer Action and Target Ovarian Cancer.