She was a beloved mother, grandmother and daughter, an advocate of the arts and mental health and a key figure in local news in north Norfolk for two decades.
Tributes have been paid to Karen Bethell, from Sheringham, who died after a short illness in July 2022, aged 58.
Karen became well known in the community through her work as a reporter for the Eastern Daily Press and its sister newspaper, the North Norfolk News.
Her mum, Miriam Leach, said Karen’s passion for people was at the core of everything she did.
Mrs Leach said: “Karen was a very unique person, and she cared about other people to an extreme.
“She had a real feeling for people. She was very empathetic and I think that’s why people thought so much of her.
“When she interviewed people they felt she was genuinely interested in them, which she was.”
Karen was born in Yorkshire, and went on to live in Sheringham for almost 30 years.
Mrs Leach said she came to work for the local newspaper while she was producing an independent magazine about the town.
She said: “The covers were absolutely beautiful, so then I think that someone from the paper offered her a job.”
Due to her family commitments, Karen was technically a part-time employee, but ended up regularly going above and beyond her duties whenever the job required it.
As well as writing stories, Karen put her talent for photography to good use, capturing the people, scenes and drama of north Norfolk in thousands of images.
Her regular contributions to the North Norfolk News included a weekly ‘Face to Face’ feature where she shone a light on someone making a positive difference in the community, and a column called Around Town which was dubbed ‘A personal look at what’s happening around Cromer, Sheringham and Holt’.
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Karen loved the arts, and organised exhibitions at Sheringham Little Theatre and in North Walsham in support of mental health charities, another cause which she was passionate about.
During the Covid lockdowns, she put her creativity - and sewing machine - to good use by making facemasks and scrub caps which were sent around the world, including to hospitals in the United States.
Mrs Leach said: “She was always doing something.”
A close colleague of Karen’s, Alex Hurrell, said she would always treasure the times they shared.
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Ms Hurrell said: “Karen and I started working for what was then Eastern Counties Newspapers on exactly the same day - September 11, 2000.
“That fact created a bond between us and we supported and encouraged each other over the following years.
“Although Karen didn’t have a background in journalism, she was a natural and I had huge respect for her talent, integrity and professionalism both as a writer and a photographer.
“She had great empathy and a wicked sense of humour and that’s how I will remember her.”
Former North Norfolk News community editor Richard Batson said Karen was a longstanding and key part of the news team, whose crisp, concise writing style and great photographs could always be relied upon.
Mr Batson said: “She was a vital set of eyes and ears in Sheringham, where she had a passion for, and curiosity about, community events in her adoptive hometown and wider north Norfolk area – particularly the arts scene.”
Former North Norfolk News editor Adam Lazzari said: "Karen loved her job and she was a joy to work with.
"She was a talented writer and photographer and her passion for the job and the communities she served really shone through in her work.
"I felt when I managed Karen that was keen to take on new challenges and she really stepped up to the plate.
"I particularly remember her coverage of the North Norfolk 1940s Weekend.
"We brought out a special edition of the EDP for the event, which was a huge success, and that was all down to Karen's hard work and talent."
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