TRIBUTES have been paid to a much loved teacher who has sadly passed away.

Fiona Edgar, who was the former secondary depute head at Craigmarloch School, passed away suddenly with her family by her side on March 5.

Her loved ones are still coming to terms with their terrible loss.

As a tribute to Fiona, her family have donated the money collected at her funeral to the school.

Fiona's daughter Juliette Duffy says it is a source of comfort to know that the money will help the children her mum cared so passionately about.

She said: "Mum was always so thoughtful and she always went the extra mile.

"We were overwhelmed by the turnout at her funeral.

"It was a celebration of the kind of person she was and everything she did for everyone.

"On the day £766 was collected which we have donated to Craigmarloch.

"We couldn't imagine giving the money to anything else."

Fiona, who lived in Barrhill Road in Gourock, worked at the former Glenburn School for 25 years before moving to the new Craigmarloch.

As well as being an exceptional teacher she was also devoted to her family - husband Norman, her two daughters Juliette and Elizabeth and her grandchildren Luke and Lewis.

Juliette added: "She was an amazing mum.

"She was there when I had my second child Lewis who arrived quickly at home.

"Mum was great, she put me at ease and calmed me down before the paramedics arrived.

"She was delighted to be there."

Staff and pupils at Craigmarloch say that Fiona was an incredible person who always put others before herself.

Aileen Morgan, current depute head, said: "Everyone saw how caring and calm Fiona was - she couldn't do enough for you.

"When I started at Craigmarloch I was a class teacher and then a principal teacher so I worked quite closely with her.

"I could always go to her if there was anything I wanted to know or if I had something I wanted to talk to her about - she was always there for you.

"She was also very calm.

"One of the things that was mentioned at her funeral was the way she used to glide along the corridors.

"If the children were a bit unsettled she would just appear and they would just settle.

"She had this calming aura."

Teacher Lynn Clydesdale, who worked with Fiona for 14 years, said she was one of a kind.

She said: "Fiona was more than a colleague, she was a friend.

"I was very blessed to have Fiona in my life.

"She loved fun and always made sure that other people were looked after, especially her young pupils - it was all about them."

Craigmarloch pupil Ross Murphy says he will miss Fiona dearly but fondly remembers the happy times he spent with her.

The 15-year-old said: "It's hard as I knew Fiona since P1 so I knew her for a long time.

"I feel heartbroken but I wanted to be there at her funeral."

On behalf of her family, Juliette, who lives in Inverkip, is keen to thank everyone for their support at such a difficult time.

She added: "Everyone has been so thoughtful, sending beautiful messages, cards and flowers.

"We've been overwhelmed."