Moving tributes have been paid to a long-serving Suffolk councillor who played a prominent role in her community and will be “deeply missed.”
Flags will be flown at half mast at Waveney District Council’s Riverside offices and at Southwold Town Hall following the sudden death of Sue Allen.
Mrs Allen, 78, has been described by family and friends as the “heartbeat of Southwold” which stopped on Monday with her sudden death.
A family statement said: “Sue will be remembered as an exceptional lady whose life was almost entirely spent busy for the good of others. Sue enjoyed the good things in life and had impeccable taste.
“She took her roles very seriously and worked tirelessly for the local community. Amongst her achievements she successfully pushed for major funding to rebuild the Southwold Harbour walls, negotiated the development of affordable housing projects and raised extensive funding for Southwold Christmas lights.”
Sue enjoyed part of her career with the BBC where she met set designer Paul Allen, husband and father of their three daughters Lisa, Vanessa and Melissa, and they lived in Surrey. They relocated to Reydon in the 1970s, where her love of horses became a business as she established an Appaloosa Horse Stud. Later they moved to Dunwich Forest to open a trekking centre. The family said: “In Southwold Sue and Paul had an antique shop and a hairdressers and after her separation from Paul she ran a B&B on the seafront and in 1993 opened the successful Fishmonger and Delicatessen, Fish & Fayre, with her partner, Philip Palmer.”
Sue became town mayor in 2003 and again in 2010. Sue was elected a member of Waveney District Council in 2004.
Sue served the council as ward member for Southwold and Reydon for 14 years, which also included eight years as cabinet member for housing and a two year spell as chairman of the council. She also served on a number of committees and partner bodies
Paying tribute, Waveney leader Mark Bee, said: “Sue was an absolutely wonderful person; caring, generous and entirely committed to public service in Southwold and the wider district. She gave everything to seeking better outcomes for local people and communities and she will be deeply missed by everyone who ever knew or worked with her.”
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