Tributes pour in as 'wonderful' Leeds grandma who founded Furbabies dog pageants dies suddenly

Grandma-of-seven June Hodgkins, 64, was well known in Wetherby and across the world for her fun-filled dog pageants, which saw best-dressed pooches come away with trophies.

Her grieving daughter, Jaimie Lester, said her mum brought "joy and cheer" to people's lives at a time when they needed it the most.

“She was an amazing, beautiful woman," Jaimie, 44, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"She brought enthusiasm to everybody she met. She adored Furbabies, it was the happiest I’ve ever seen my mum - bringing joy to people and raising money for charity.

“I thought she was crackers to start with!"

June was taken into hospital in April with gallstones, but was readmitted on May 11 after suffering with excruciating pain.

Doctors gave the devastating diagnosis of cancer in her pancreas, liver and bowel, as well as nine secondary cancers - and June died just 16 days later.

"It was a really painful death from start to finish," Jaimie said.

June leaves behind her husband Phil, who devoted his life to her Furbabies pageants, as well as her three children and seven grandsons.

She was born in Armley in 1957 and was raised in Scott Hall Square, where she was a keen actress and singer and once received a standing ovation for a performance at a working men's club.

June studied catering at Thomas Danby College, before working as a phlebotomist at St James's Hospital for two decades, fondly nicknamed the 'little vampire'.

She gave up work due to problems with her knees and helped to look after Jaimie's sons, before she founded the Furbabies pageants in 2019.

Her pageants, often held in Wetherby, drew in dog owners from across the country - and she has even gathered a huge fan base in America after pictures from a pageant went viral.

In September last year, June told the YEP that her pageants had "lifted people's spirits" in the throes of lockdowns, when people were searching for connection with others.

"It comes from passion," she said at the time.

June's funeral was held on June 8 and drew in a large crowd of spectators - and her family have been flooded with messages from people praising the impact June had on their lives.

"You can see how much they adored my mum," Jaimie added.

“She brought so much joy and cheer to everybody.

“She was a wonderful mum, wife and grandma. She’s going to be really missed.”