A inspirational woman who dedicated her life to Girl Guiding and mentored others to follow suit has died.

Vera Surman, 77, was involved in Kidlington Girl Guides for 40 years and became the district’s commissioner.

She was the first person to be awarded the 40 years’ service brooch in the Anglia region.

Mrs Surman was born in Plaistow in London on January 30, 1934, but moved to Sidcup in Kent during the Second World War. It was there that she first joined a Guides group, the 4th Sidcup Company, in November 1945.

She quickly became immersed in the Guiding community and her wedding, to Arthur in 1966, was notable for the number of Guides in attendance.

Shortly afterwards, the newlyweds moved to Kidlington after Arthur, who is from Botley, got a job with the Cooperative in Oxford.

She joined the 2nd Kidlington Guides in 1967 as assistant guider. In 1976, the year she became the unit’s leader, she was invited to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her Guiding service. She helped create a Girl Guiding centre for the unit, which is still used to this day.

Mrs Surman rose to become Kidlington district commissioner, Oxford City 2 division commissioner, district treasurer and division young leader advisor.

After retirement she took on the Dark Horse Challenge – the Duke of Edinburgh Award for the elderly.

Friend and fellow Guide Sue Moss, 65, of Kidlington, said: “She was a very warm, positive and bubbly person and was the central figure in Kidlington Girl Guiding for the last 30 or 40 years.

“She was a very inspirational person”.

She died at home on November 24 and left Arthur, 77, two children, Neil and Angela, and two grandchildren, Connie and Joseph.