TEARS and laughter came in equal measure at the funeral of a Colchester mum-of-three.

Mourners donned fancy dress and bright clothes to pay tribute to Clare White, a fun-loving, gregarious woman known to those who loved her as “Fairy”.

She lost her battle with cancer of the oesophagus ten days ago.

Husband Billy wanted the funeral to be a celebration of the 38-year-old, and to raise awareness for St Helena Hospice, which cared for Clare and her family in the last weeks of her life.

Billy, of Tara Close, Greenstead, dressed as Dennis the Menace, while other costumes included three £10 notes – the “three tenners” – a fairy, a peasant, jesters, a superhero and many people simply in bright colours.

Speaking before the service, the 37-year-old, said: “Clare didn’t want it to be boring, and so we wanted to celebrate her life.

“It won’t be easy, but we wanted it to be different and hopefully, to raise awareness of St Helena Hospice and its fantastic work.”

He added he wanted to say a special thank you to Matthew and all the staff at funeral directors R Gwinnell & Sons, who listened to his requests and made the arrangements as smooth as possible.

The service was conducted by Pastor Justin Lunniss, who led the coffin into the chapel at Colchester Crematorium, off Mersea Road, to the sounds of Dancing in the Dark, by Bruce Springsteen.

Clare’s three sons Dominic 11, Kyle, 14, and Terry, 20, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, joined a congregation of more than 100 people to say goodbye to their mum.

The pastor said the opening prayers, telling the mourners he was no religious freak, but a man who knew Clare and was there to help celebrate her life.

After the first hymn, Dominic stood beside Pastor Lunniss to read Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd.

The youngster bravely read the words to a round of applause, before breaking down in tears.

Smiles were as frequent as tears, with every tribute greeted with a giggle, a sob and a round of applause.

The coffin was led out to Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, with people attempting to sing, whistle and laugh as they made their way to the graveside.

Donations can be made to St Helena Hospice, either directly or c/o R Gwinnell & Sons, 112 Ipswich Road, Colchester, CO4 0AA.