Lyssa with one of her late mum's published books
Lyssa with one of her late mum's published books
Paula Govier-Simpson of North Tawton sadly passed away in February 2020, much loved by her family and friends. She was a vivacious and inspiring character, who now thanks to her family, leaves the legacy of her creative skill and imagination.
Known as Paul, she and her husband moved to Devon in 2015 to be nearer family and grandchildren. Before her move to the South West, Paul had a long and varied career in the arts. Her childhood, though marked by asthma and pneumonia, was artistic - her father was a music hall performer and she was taught to sing by her aunt Mabel, a concert pianist. She always had an active imagination, even as a child immersing herself in a fantasy world, creating stories and plays for her dolls.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dance she became a member of the Scottish National Ballet. After her ballet career came to an end, Paul choreographed and directed local amateur dramatic societies. This included working with various children’s choirs, in particular ‘Giocosa Cantabile’ which won several awards for their four-part harmony elements. She was also a founder of Artform, an amateur dramatic group in Kent.
Her move to Devon was the catalyst for her to combine her passion for music and fairies - a series of stories were in the making. One of her last wishes was to be a published author, a task which has now fallen to her youngest daughter Lyssa.
‘Faye and The Music Fairies – The Clef Crystal’ is the first book of a series of six now available on Amazon. Through learning the piano, the story tells of Faye’s adventures as she transcends into another world, full of enchanted creatures.
Lyssa said: ‘It’s been a really emotional time for everyone - my family and I wanted to mark mum’s passing a year ago with something that would have meant the world to her.
‘Mum would have been over the moon for people to be able to read her stories. In many ways we believed she was a fairy herself, we miss her dearly, this is our way of keeping her flame alive.’
Paul’s memory, creativity and wonderful imagination can now be enjoyed by generations to come, the stories of a one-of-a-kind, real-life fairy who loved to sing and play with magic.