A DEDICATED fundraiser for Hospice in the Weald died after falling backwards on an escalator and hitting her head at Marks and Spencer in Tunbridge Wells.

Joyce Rowe, 82, was found lying on the bottom steps by members of staff at the Calverley Road store on November 17 last year.

She died later that day at the Kent and Sussex Hospital, an inquest heard.

Tribute has been paid to Mrs Rowe of West Road in Goudhurst – who proved instrumental in raising money from her village, where she lived for more than 40 years, for the hospice in Pembury.

The hospice's Judy Higgins said: "Joyce played a very active part in the early days of the Hospice.

"She started up a new link in Goudhurst in 1996 when we launched the campaign for a new building.

"She ran the link throughout the course of the campaign, raising thousands of pounds through various events.

"It is due to the dedicated work of people like Joyce that we have the facilities we do now."

At an inquest held on Friday deputy coroner Alan Blunsdon recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He praised the actions of the staff at the store who talked to Mrs Rowe and held her hand until an ambulance arrived.

Giving evidence at the inquest four members of staff who were working at the shop said they had rushed to help Mrs Rowe, a retired physiotherapist, after hearing "a loud bang".

The escalator had been stopped by a customer who pressed the emergency button after Mrs Rowe fell.

Customer assistant Pauline Ward said: "She was talking to start with and then her condition deteriorated and her eyes began to close.

"I could see she was losing consciousness."

Staff said she had been anxious about alerting her husband who was waiting in the car for her.

Employees Neil Lancaster and Yvonne Goddard helped to move Mrs Rowe from where she had fallen and noticed she was bleeding from her head.

A postmortem revealed she had suffered a fractured skull which caused a haemorrhage.

Mr Blunsdon said: "I want to pay tribute to the members of staff who gave assistance.

"She was in severe shock and they dealt with the matter in a most professional manner."