THE funeral of Fran Jenkin, the chairman of Exeter's Refugee Support Group and founder member of the Devon Equality Council will be held today.

Ms Jenkin, a stalwart supporter of Exeter City and anti-racism campaigner, died recently aged 67.

She was born on December 17, 1942, the only child of West Cornish parents.

Fran attended Penzance County Grammar School for Girls, then read English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. By the time she left, she was a single parent as well as an MA.

She obtained a teaching post in Derry in 1968 and became active in left-wing politics. She left for England shortly before Bloody Sunday, taught for a time in Truro before settling in Devon in 1973, working at Exeter College for more than 30 years.

Fran was an active member of the Labour Party and campaigned to return the party to its left-wing roots. She supported Tony Benn in his leadership bid in 1988, and ripped up her membership card as a protest at the Iraq war. Recently she rejoined to have a vote in the forthcoming leadership election.

She devoted time and tireless energy to a range of causes including CND, the Exeter/Ethiopia Link, Greenham Common women, the Devon Racial Equality Council and the setting up of a Women's Refuge as well as being a passionate campaigner against racism and fascism.

Fran was also passionate in her support of Exeter City. Her legacy will be the work she did for the club's trust and in particular for the Kick Racism out of Football campaign.

In recognition of her service to the club, the first home league match of the new season was preceded by a minute of applause for her.

Latterly, she was a founder member of the Exeter Refugee Support Group and, from 2005 until her death, its chairman.

For this cause, too, she worked with extraordinary commitment and energy on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees, most of them from Afghanistan or Iran.

Among her many achievements was the setting up of a successful Women's Group.

Her friend Lawrence Sail, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, said: "Fran's readiness to act and to activate others on behalf of the causes she believed in was uncompromising.

"She demanded respect and justice for others, and for those who have been the beneficiaries of her commitment — and there must be hundreds — the results are radical, central to their lives.

"But none of this was solemn: Fran had a terrific sense of humour that extended to self-deprecation. As a friend noted, 'she did fun well'.

He added: "There was a vulnerability to her temperament which in itself contributed to her capacity for generosity and compassion. And if she could be tough, she was inherently tender.

"The challenge of her lifelong principled activism continues: for her, there was no gap between belief, intention and action. I count it an honour to have been one of her many friends."

Her funeral is taking place at Exeter Crematorium today at 2.45pm.