Tributes to city sports campaigner

Jul 10 2007 By Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

STARS from the world of sport and politics have said farewell to a city council officer responsible for one of Birmingham's most triumphant sporting events.

Flowers arrived from Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Olympic task force at the memorial service for Lorraine MacKay, yesterday.

The 51-year-old died from a rare bone cancer, which was diagnosed just days after the European Indoor Athletics Championships she helped organise, in March.

Her funeral was held at Sutton Coldfield Crematorium and was followed by a wake at New Hall Hotel.

Also at the service was middle-distance runner David Moorcroft, who won medals at the European and Commonwealth Championships, in the 1970s and 1980s.

As the council's director of marketing for sport and deputy head of international sport Lorraine had recently been involved in planning Birmingham's arrangements for the 2012 Olympics.

Lorraine, originally from London, had been a marketing and communications officer for the council since 1984 and concentrated on the leisure, tourism and sport sections.

She leaves her husband of two-and-a-half years Duncan and two children Sarah, aged 24 and Thomas, nine.

Council head of sport Brian Stocks said: "Lorraine was a true professional who brought endless benefits and world acclaim to the city and its ability to deliver first-class sporting events and much of the work she did will continue to be used to promote Birmingham as a training facility for the 2012 Olympics.

"She will be sadly missed, not just by her friends and colleagues but the whole sporting fraternity.":