Popular gran Phyllis Dunne’s tragic stairs fall

A POPULAR grandmother and “pillar of the community,” who tirelessly campaigned for the rights of retired shop workers, died after falling down the stairs of her Kentish Town home, an inquest has heard.
Phyllis Dunne, described as the “heart and soul” of the community in Castle Place – where she lived for 41 years – died on October 6 last year following a fall down 13 steps five days earlier.
St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard this week how the 74-year-old, who was “as fit as a fiddle” and a regular gym-goer, was preparing to go out to a function for retired Marks & Spencer staff shortly before the accident.
Ms Dunne was the treasurer the company’s retired staff association for Camden Town, after working for many years in the High Street branch.
Her son Stephen, who was in the house at the time, said she was in “good spirits” before the fall.
“She had brought a cup of tea into my room and we had a brief discussion and she was cracking jokes,” he said. “I think I heard her cry out before the thump. She was at the bottom of the stairs in a foetal position.”
Speaking outside the court Mr Dunne added: “She was a typical Irish matriarch. She was the centre of a big community of people.”
Ms Dunne kept in regular contact with her four children and 14 grandchildren. Two of her sons never left and settled just metres away from her front door.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Coroner Sean McGovern addressed Ms Dunne’s children. He said: “To lose your mother is always a traumatic, life-changing event.
“Your mother was a sprightly 74-year-old, and her death was all the more tragic for being an accident.”
JOSIE HINTON