Tragedy of Eleanor

THE devastated parents of a Buxted woman who died when she fell over Beachy Head, this week described their daughter as 'a lovely and loving person'.

Bob and Pam Herbert, of Framfield Road, said their daughter, Eleanor had 'a lovely sense of humour and a beautiful smile'.

The retired Heathfield Community College teachers described how 30-year-old Eleanor had fallen into a dark depression following an operation she had undergone, just three weeks before. Ms Herbert, who worked as an illustrator for a garden designer in Buxted, was found dead on Sunday evening.

Mr Herbert, 61, said: 'She was a very lovely and loving person. She had such a beautiful smile and she had so many wonderful qualities.'

He said that Eleanor, who still lived with her parents, had undergone a 'fairly serious' operation in January but had fallen into a depression in the days following. He said: 'She was receiving treatment in the form of anti-depressants, but she had only been taking them for a week before it all became too much for her. I think the operation possibly tripped her into depression.

'The depression was totally at odds with her personality. She was just a lovely person. Her depression was a shock to us and, we think, to her as well. It was only three weeks since the operation, and one week since the treatment began. I don't think there was enough time for the treatment to work.'

Ms Herbert was found at the foot of the Belle Tout cliffs, Beachy Head, at 11.20pm on Sunday. Her body was identified by her father and sister Jane, 28, on Monday. A post mortem was carried out this week.

A former student at Heathfield Community College, Ms Herbert went on to Aberystwyth University where she did a degree in library studies and the history of art. She was unmarried and had no children.

Mr Herbert added: 'She was quite a self-contained person, but she loved to go on adventure holiday breaks. She had been to Libya and America and had booked a holiday for Alaska later in the year.

'She was very artistic and musical and had three or four very close friends. And Jane was almost like a twin and was her best friend.

'We have been kept going by all the messages and words of support from people both Eleanor's friends and ours.

'We would also like to express our appreciation to our community beat officer PC Richard Hudson whose support has almost been beyond the call of duty.'