A FORMER Cookley resident and president of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education has died.

Margaret Talbot, née Moir, was a renowned international figure in the field of physical education and sport when she died, aged 68, on December 2.

Born on September 8, 1946, Margaret was brought up in the village and attended Cookley Primary School before continuing her education at Kidderminster High School for Girls.

Early in her career, Margaret worked at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds before becoming head of sport at Leeds Metropolitan University.

She was recognised for her services to physical education and sport in 1993 when she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Throughout her life she was an advocate and activist for equity in sport and physical education, and fought continually to defend the entitlement to quality physical education around the world.

Until shortly before her death, Margaret was also chairman of the Education Committee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and was recently appointed as a member of the Culture and Olympic Education Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Margaret had to withdraw from these positions in June 2014, due to her health issues.

Sir Philip Craven, chairman of the IPC, said: “I speak on behalf of the whole Paralympic movement when I say that we are all deeply saddened by Margaret’s passing and our thoughts go out to her husband David, her family and her friends at this time.

“There is no doubting Margaret's unique intellectual powers, but it is Margaret the woman that we will always remember.

“Her jocular delivery, particularly to audiences dominated by the male sex, belied the fact that her heartfelt messages were normally delivered by exocet with the recipients not realising its presence and explosive impact until it had hit home.”

Before her death, Margaret lived in Rawdon, Leeds, with her husband David, while also attempting to spend as much of their “limited” leisure time as possible at their second home in Aegina Island, Greece.

David said he is grateful for the “beautiful, moving, inspirational and fitting” tributes to Margaret he has received, including personal letters of condolence from president of the IOC Thomas Bach and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.