My aunt, Susan Waller Thomas, who has died of cancer aged 80, was an inspiring and dedicated teacher, councillor, lord mayor and high sheriff in Swansea and West Glamorgan. She was compassionate and fiercely intelligent and had a deep belief in the power of advocacy to change lives and create opportunities.
Born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, Susan was the daughter of Mary (nee Peasgood) and Freddie Amoore, an RAF engineer. Her schooldays in Lincolnshire she described as appallingly awful, and she went on to dedicate many years of her life to young people and to improving the experience that they would have of education and wider society. She always listened to what people had to say and never dismissed the concerns of others.
