THE voice of a Cadbury’s flake advert and a former teacher at the Queen’s School in Wisbech died suddenly on November 8.

Anita Suzanne Perks (nee Lumb) was born in Nuneaton on July 20, 1950 before moving to Hunstanton with her parents Gwen and Jack. In 1973 the English teacher moved to Terrington St John when she started at the Wisbech school.

She was made head of drama at the school, now Thomas Clarkson Community College, and moved to Marshland High School in 1986 for 16 months. After her spell at the West Walton school, Mrs Perks returned to Queen’s where she became head of the arts faculty before retiring in 2004.

Mrs Perks, who has lived in Eastfield Way since 1983, gave birth to Will Kitchener in 1979 during her first marriage. She then met her second husband Jim Perks in Peterborough before they married in 1988.

The pair have been foster parents for 26 years and on Friday, November 11, were due to receive a long service award from Cambridgeshire County Council.

Her first foster daughter, Lisa Stockdale (nee Munday), moved to New Zealand with her husband Ian. Mrs Perks is grandmother to her two children Isabelle and Cameron.

Mr Kitchener said: “My mum would not go the extra mile for someone, she would go the extra 100 miles. She was larger than life and just wanted to help those who were less fortunate than her.”

She was also foster mum to Natasha and Nadine since 1998 and 1999 respectively and recently took in their sister Martika after her placement broke down.

The teacher was also a professional singer for many bands in the late 60s and early 70s. She sang the jingle for the Cadbury’s Flake advert in the 70s.

Michael Burrell worked with Mrs Perks at the Angles Theatre and when he was in his 60s was asked, by Mrs Perks, to play a 15-year-old boy who got a girl pregnant in a GCSE drama exam for her as one of the actors dropped out.

He said: “All her students loved her. She was an amazing woman and had extraordinary discipline. When I took my son into my home she said to me that I needed to give him my unconditional love all the time till all my breath was gone.

“That pretty much sums her up, she always gave her unconditional love to people in desperate need.”

Her funeral service takes place at Mintlyn Crematorium at 11.30am on December 3 before the family celebrate her life at the Queen Mary Centre, Wisbech, at 2pm.