AN “INSPIRING” bowler from Dunfermline has died after a 17 year long battle with cancer.

Tributes have been paid to Anne Bernard, who was the president of the West Fife Ladies Bowling Association and also a great advocate for the sport.

The loving wife, mother and grandmother passed away earlier this month at the age of 70.

Her husband, Alan, told the Press: “She was popular and everybody knew her, certainly in the bowling circuit. Everybody knew Anne, I’m overwhelmed with it, just all the nice things they’ve put on Facebook about her. Oh she’s been amazing, especially as far as bowling went.”

Anne, who went to school at Commercial Primary and Queen Anne High, worked at FMC in Dunfermline and was a member of Abbeyview Bowling Club.

She won Scottish and British Isles pairs titles in 1988 and 1990 with her partner Margaret Spink, and made her international debut in 1991. In 2010 she was runner up in the World Bowls Council mixed pairs in Jersey with her partner Steven Allan.

Between the indoor and outdoor formats of the sport, Anne won a total of 18 championships. She was first diagnosed in 2005 with throat cancer and had been bravely battling it since then.

Alan said: “She had, overall, about 70 bouts of radiotherapy on two different occasions and chemotherapy. She never let it get to her, she just kept going.

“She was still playing bowls up until two years ago, even with all of that, but eventually it just became too much and she was just getting too weak to play any longer.

"However the people around about her, they respected her for who she was and a lot of the youngsters looked up to her. They’ve been saying about the influence she had on them as they’ve grown. It’s been a journey and a half.”

Lynn Lees, her friend and fellow bowler, said: “Anne loved her bowls and was instrumental in establishing West Fife Ladies Bowling Association in 2017.

“She's been the West Fife president for the last five years and has been a strong advocate in promoting ladies bowls.

"Her enthusiasm and determination was inspiring and she was a great role model for the younger bowlers in West Fife, helping them to develop on their bowls journey and supporting them every step of the way.”

She continued: “Anne was a great bowler and won a number of titles over the years. In terms of West Fife she was incredibly proud to lead the ladies top 10 team to Scottish bronze and silver medals in two consecutive years.

“She also won the ladies champion of champions title on five occasions which was an outstanding achievement. Anne was an inspiration to all who knew her and although she will be sadly missed, her bowls legacy will live on.”

Aside from bowling, Anne loved going on holidays, soaking up the sun and meeting up with friends.

Alan said: “She was an outgoing, loveable type of person. There was never a time when I thought ‘oh God, I’ve had enough of this!’ it was just the life that we had.”

Her funeral will take tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11.30am at Dunfermline Crematorium, and afterwards at Abbeyview Bowling Club.