Tributes to Fisherman's Friend tycoon and Lancashire philanthropist Doreen Lofthouse, who has died at the age of 91

Tributes have been paid today to Doreen Lofthouse OBE - the Fisherman's Friend businesswoman who supported countless good causes in her native Lancashire.

Mrs Lofthouse, who helped transform the company into a global brand and became one of the richest people in the UK, has died at the age of 91.

Fisherman's Friend, a brand of strong menthol lozenge, was founded in Fleetwood by pharmacist James Lofthouse in the 1860s.

According to the company, the fishermen in Fleetwood began to refer to the lozenges as "friends", hence the name.

Mrs Lofthouse and her husband Tony, who was the fourth generation of the Lofthouse family to head the company and who died at the age of 74 in 2018, are credited with transforming the brand into a into a major international concern.

Famous customers are said to include Margaret Thatcher and the current French President Emmanuel Macron.

Through the Lofthouse Foundation, the family was well known for their support of good causes in Lancashire.