Lady Beryl Tindle, a distinguished figure in the Farnham community and widow of the late Herald proprietor Sir Ray Tindle, has died aged 96.

Lady Tindle, who died peacefully at home on Monday, January 29, leaves behind a legacy of philanthropy, dedication and unwavering commitment to the town she called home for more than 40 years.

Born in 1927, Lady Tindle met her childhood sweetheart Sir Ray at school when they were just seven years old, and the couple married in Streatham in 1949 following Sir Ray’s wartime and post-war service in the 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment.

They moved to Farnham in the early 1980s, and would go on to make a huge contribution in the town over the next four decades. 

While Sir Ray acquired the Herald series of newspapers in 1969 and later ran his 220 publication-strong newspaper empire from Farnham, Lady Tindle contributed significantly to various charitable endeavours and community initiatives locally. 

She opened the Downing Street Charity Shop in 1987 and ran it for an astonishing 35 years aided by a team of dedicated volunteers.

The shop was built on the simple idea of supporting a different charity every time it raised £1,000 in second-hand sales, and when it closed its doors for the last time in 2021, it had raised many tens of thousands of pounds for good causes locally, nationally and internationally.

Alongside her charitable work, Lady Tindle played a pivotal role in adult education in West Street, running courses to empower adults with learning difficulties and helping foreign students learn English.

She was also previously head of the De Clare Centre, a remedial centre for children in Dorking, and served as a governor of Pilgrims Way Primary School in Farnham and patron of the children’s centre at Potters Gate School in the town centre.

On moving to Farnham, Lady Tindle also became president of the Farnham Homemakers, a role she held for more than 40 years.

Throughout her life, Lady Tindle was a beacon of support for the less fortunate in society, earning her a well-deserved Services to Farnham award, which she received at the town hall in 2023.

The medal accompanying the award was designed and introduced by her late husband Sir Ray in 2010.

Lady Tindle said on receiving the honour: “I am deeply, deeply honoured to receive the award. Everything I have done in Farnham I have really enjoyed. I would do it all over again if I could.”

She also received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in 2008 for her voluntary services to the community in Farnham, a year after retiring from her teaching career.

And Lady Tindle and Sir Ray were also honoured on the ‘notable names of Farnham’ wall in South Street last year, a further testament to their decades-long commitment to the community.

Sir Ray, who died in 2022, called Lady Tindle ‘his rock’ for her unstinting support during their long marriage, and she is survived by their son Owen and granddaughter Maisy.