TRIBUTES have been paid to a 'talented' choir founder from Denbighshire who has died.

Manon Easter Lewis, from Corwen, died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on July 29.

The 81-year-old was responsible for forming the Côr Merched Edeyrnion (Edeyrnion Ladies Choir) which celebrated it's 40th anniversary in 2019.

The choir was formed by Mrs Lewis in 1979 and mainly drew members from local villages and the towns of Bala and Corwen.

Over the years, she led the choir to no fewer than 11 wins in the ladies’ choral competition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

The choir also won the Silver Cup at the prestigious Verona Music Festival in Italy in 1992.

One of the choir’s highlights came in 2015 when they were invited to the Welsh chapel in Liverpool to sing at a concert celebrating the centenary of the voyage of the clipper, The Mimosa, which took settlers to establish the Welsh colony in Patagonia 1865.

In 2019, Mrs Lewis told the Denbighshire Free Press that among her most memorable achievements was when the choir was asked to sing at the Santa de Montserrat monastery in Barcelona, Spain.

Aside from the choir, Mrs Lewis was a former special education needs and music teacher at Bala's Ysgol Y Berwyn for more than 30 years and even taught international opera star Sion Goronwy when he was a child.

Whilst at the school, she also conducted a successful children's choir which had also competed in competitions

She also used to recruit seven young accompanists from her former school to give them experience of the choir scene and national competitions.

At the eulogy read out by Alwenna Joyce at Mrs Lewis funeral held at Seion Chapel in Corwen this afternoon, she was described as a figure who 'succeeded in making a fun and close community' out of her beloved choir.

The eulogy added: "Although she was small in stature, Manon was a real big personality."

Words of tribute to Mrs Lewis poured in on Facebook.

One user wrote: "She had the ability to get the very best out of everyone."

Another added: "She was always fun and we had so many laughs. So many great memories of her to treasure."

A third person wrote: "Such a talented, supportive and beautiful lady. I will always be grateful for all she did for me."

Born and raised in Corwen, Mrs Lewis went on to live in Blaenau Ffestiniog before moving back to her hometown to settle down with husband Caerwyn and their two children; Iwan and Carol.