A LIFELONG Barrow AFC fan who travelled up and down the country to watch her beloved Bluebirds play has died.

Kath Larkin remained an avid Barrow AFC fan right until the end, embarking on 12-hour journeys to support her team throughout her life.

The 78-year-old always lived in Barrow, working as a clerk typist at Vickers from the age of 16 until her late-50s.

Mrs Larkin was married to her husband Harold for 44 years before his death in 2016.

She leaves behind her daughter Melissa and two grandchildren, Jasmine and Samuel.

A ‘larger than life’ character, Mrs Larkin was a committed football fan and devoted grandmother.

“Mam was very spirited and bubbly. She was very well known to everyone in the town,” her daughter Melissa, a nurse at Furness General Hospital, said.

“Particularly to everyone on the sports bus.

“She was a larger-than-life figure. Everyone seemed to know her.”

After first attending football matches as a teen, Mrs Larkin spent her life following the club around the country.

“She spent a lot of her time going to the games,” Miss Larkin, who lives in Barrow, said.

“She went to all the home and away games, even if it means travelling all over the country.

“Mam really enjoyed the social side of it – meeting people on the bus and enjoying a drink when she came back at the Ambrose.

“She took the grandkids to lots of away games. My son followed in her footsteps and he’s a season ticket-holder.

“Sam was very sad when mam became too unwell to take him to matches anymore.”

Mrs Larkin died of sepsis after suffering breathing issues in her later years due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

“Mam was very upset that she had to stop going to the games,” Miss Larkin said.

“She still listened to them all on the radio. Even when she was really poorly in hospital, she’d be asking the nurses what the score was.

“Right to the end, she was interested in football.”

Mrs Larkin also had an allotment on Walney for 20 years and was part of a pensioners club.

Miss Larkin described her mam as a ‘very kind and caring’ person.

The 49-year- said: “She was a very kind and caring mam and grandma. The grandkids could never leave the house without her putting something in their hand.”

The Bluebirds Trust have also paid tribute to their life-long supporter, Mrs Larkin: “Kath Larkin was an avid Bluebirds fan all her life, starting from when she used to go to Barrow AFC matches in her youth.

“She was a season ticket holder for a number of years and many people will know her from her regular attendance at away matches which she would travel to on the supporters' bus.

“Sadly ill health curtailed her attendance at games in recent years but she never missed listening to the games on the radio and had been delighted at Barrow AFC's re-emergence as an English football league club.”