It was a spectacular sight on Minchinhampton Common on Friday, August 23 as some of the most coveted of classic cars congregated to farewell Jane 'Beck' Barrett.

Jane, a much-loved primary teacher who had taught at schools across Gloucestershire before latterly joining Hopelands Preparatory School in Stonehouse, died aged 60 on July 28.

Fostering a love of design and flair for all things creative, Jane passed away just six weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer and only four weeks after marrying her long-time beau at home in Amberley.

But before she died, Jane asked that her other great passion – vintage cars – could be embraced with a classic car procession to carry her coffin to its final resting place.

Amid glorious sunshine, no less than 23 classic, sports and collectors cars and motorbikes came together on the Common. Jane had loved the aesthetic and simplicity of vintage motorcars.

A 1959 Humber Super Snipe Estate, which dated back to the year of her birth, carried her coffin as the cars proceeded to the Memorial Woodlands at Alveston.

"It was absolutely tremendous," said Graham Millard, a racing and classic car mechanic who had been friends with Jane for some 35 years.

"As the convoy approached the Woodlands chapel, we had 15 seconds of revving the engines in Beck's [Jane] honour, which she would have loved."

"There was then hushed silence as the Humber approached."

The Somerset-born teacher, who lived in Stonehouse for some 30 years before moving to Amberley five years ago, had the courage to not only consider what she wanted for her funeral, but to write her eulogy.

This was read out by close friend Chris Steel whose wife, Claire, took the service at the Memorial Woodlands chapel.

Also in attendance was Jane's brother, John Beck who said, "As the service came to a close, a large, colourful butterfly hovered over the wicker bed in which Jane lay before flying up and away into the eaves of the chapel."

"If such things should have an ending, then this was the most perfect of them. We celebrated the most lived of lives."

Jane is also survived by husband, Keith Amos who said that she made a substantial bequest towards the cost of a second CT scanner that she felt was greatly needed to help improve the diagnosis of cancer patients at Gloucestershire Royal.

Keith said further that Jane also made provision in her will for a memorial garden to be created in her memory at Hopelands School.

"She used to say that if you look hard enough, then the whole world is a garden. She looked upon her pupils as individual varieties of flowers and that she was there not to cut them back, but help them flourish."