A devastated Silloth man has paid tribute to his wife after she lost her battle with cancer.

Leeanne Cheng-Winter, of Silloth, died at home on January 1 after fighting incurable cervical cancer.

Gary Winter, 48, Mrs Cheng-Winter's husband, said the couple had seemed like a perfect match when they met at Silloth Music and Beer festival in September 2015.

Although they had known other for a long time, a chat that night eventually led to a date and their relationship.

"She agreed to go on a date and we never looked back," Gary said.

"From the very beginning it was just smiles and laughter.

"For every door that she opened, another one smacked her in the face but she never stayed down.

"We all stayed hopeful that there was going to be something to change the future, even when there wasn't.

"We just didn't have any luck at all."

Mrs Cheng-Winter was told that the cancer meant she was unable to have children of her own but Gary said she had embraced family life with his children.

Gary has notes from his late wife which describe how much she adored and had a close bond with them.

He said: "She was a massive personality and so good with my children.

"They thought the world of her."

Gary proposed in January last year and the couple married just over a month later at St Andrew's United Reformed Church in Silloth.

"We got on great and everything she liked, I liked and the other way around," Gary said.

"We packed an awful lot into two years and probably had feelings for each other that some people never get in 50 years."

And Gary paid tribute to the close-knit group of lifelong friends which rallied round Mrs Cheng-Winter whenever she needed it.

He said: "A big part of her life from the very beginning was what they called The Group, which was a handful of best friends who all lived in very close proximity.

"It was incredible the bond they had."