A HEARTBROKEN family have paid a moving tribute to a "beloved mother, daughter, sister and aunt" who died from a single knife wound following an incident at her Suffolk home.

A HEARTBROKEN family have paid a moving tribute to a "beloved mother, daughter, sister and aunt" who died from a single knife wound following an incident at her Suffolk home.

The shocked family of 42-year-old Amanda Lewis, from Bury St Edmunds, said last night she would be "in our hearts and thoughts forever".

A spokesman for her family said: "Amanda was a beloved mother, daughter, sister and aunt.

"The whole family are shocked and saddened by the events of Sunday, October 24. We lost so much in only one day."

Mrs Lewis' 42-year-old husband Gareth appeared before Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday charged with a single count of murder. His case has been adjourned until the New Year.

Mrs Lewis has also been described as a "kind, outgoing, genuine friend" by a close former colleague at the Roys store in Bury.

Nicola Millington worked alongside the mother-of-two for three years, and described her as "very caring".

Painting a picture of an active lady who enjoyed dancing, socialising and darts, Miss Millington said Mrs Lewis would be sadly missed by all who knew her.

"Amanda was a kind person and very outgoing and lively," she said. "She never had anything bad to say about anybody, and if you needed someone to talk to she was always there.

"She was just so nice. She was the type of person you could go to if you had a problem – and she listened to a few of mine.

"I will remember everything about Amanda. She was just a really good friend."

Mrs Lewis suffered a single stab wound to the abdomen following an incident at her home in Bury's Fitzgerald Walk, and lost her battle for life at the town's West Suffolk Hospital later the same day.

She had recently left her job after three years at Roys to take up a new position at Sainsbury's, but remained close friends with her former colleagues and regularly socialised with them.

"Lots of the people we worked with at Roys had left the company, but we would still meet up once a month for a night out," added Miss Millington.

"When we got paid, we would go to the pub and then out clubbing afterwards. Amanda was always very chatty, and also liked to dance – and I loved dancing with her.

"She just enjoyed socialising in general, and was a typical mother who just wanted to let her hair down every once in a while."

Miss Millington said Mrs Lewis enjoyed playing darts for the Red House pub at Stanningfield.

She said: "Amanda had only been in our darts team for a couple of months, but was a really good player as she would also play with her family at home.

"We held a 12-hour darts marathon last Saturday in aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and we dedicated it to Amanda's memory.

"She was really looking forward to it, as although we do it every year, it would have been her first marathon."

Mrs Lewis moved to Suffolk from Leicestershire around six years ago.