Janey Godley’s coffin to have ‘final tour’ ahead of funeral
The coffin of comedian Janey Godley will take a two-day “final tour” of Edinburgh and Glasgow ahead of her funeral on Saturday.
The Scottish comedian died earlier this month aged 63 after receiving palliative treatment for terminal cancer.
Her daughter, comedian Ashley Storrie, shared news of the journey on social media, saying the hearse would travel through her mother’s “beloved festival home” of Edinburgh on Friday before travelling “home to Glasgow“.
The funeral will take place at St Mary’s Cathedral in the West End on Saturday.
Godley, who found viral fame with her dubbed imitations of Nicola Sturgeon’s COVID-19 news briefings during the pandemic, revealed she had ovarian cancer in November 2021.
Despite her diagnosis in 2021, Godley returned to touring her Not Dead Yet gigs and was given the all-clear in 2022.
But later that year, Godley announced another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen.
Never shying away from joking about the darker side of life, in 2023 she won the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
Earlier this year, she cancelled her Why Is She Still Here autumn tour after her stage four ovarian cancer returned with what she said were added complications.
Godley with her daughter, comedian Ashley Storrie. Pic: PA
Godley died in the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow on 2 November, shortly after she had been awarded an honorary degree from the University Of Glasgow.
In the social media post, Ashley Storrie said: “Here’s the details of Janey’s final tour, thank you for all the love and kindness in this past week.
“For the past few years of Ma’s life, it was important to her that she shared her journey with everyone, to offer support for others on the same path and to highlight the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer – all of course in her very singular Janey style, with laughter and candour.
“So many of you who have travelled with us on this journey wish to bid her a final farewell, so here’s the details of my mum’s final tour, in the two cities she loved with all her heart.”
The hearse will travel along the Royal Mile and Lawnmarket in Edinburgh – with a “pause for reflection” at St Giles’ Cathedral before travelling along Cockburn Street, Market Street and on to Glasgow.
After the funeral on Saturday, there will be a private service at a crematorium.
Storrie said her mother would like anyone who wished to wear bright colours to do so, and in place of sending flowers, contributions could be made to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice or other charities.
“Thanks again everyone for all the love and support,” she said, adding it “does help so much”.
Born into poverty in the East End of Glasgow in 1961 to alcoholic parents, Godley left school aged 16 with no qualifications.
She went on to forge a stand-up career, which led to her own radio shows and numerous TV appearances.
In 2016, Godley went viral after protesting at Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort with her infamous “unwelcome” sign (Godley’s sign used slightly spicier language).
She then went on to gain attention during the COVID pandemic, voicing videos of Ms Sturgeon’s health briefings before becoming friends with the former first minister.
In 2022, she wrote her first novel, which was warmly received by critics, and earned celebrity fans including Nigella Lawson, who said it was so good she read it in two sittings.
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
Read more from Sky News:
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Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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