A FORMER Petersfield landlady who appeared during the early days of television alongside such legendary variety acts as Tommy Trinder and Reg Varney was a “massive character,” say her sons.

Roma Cottan was born in Brighton in 1924 and died after spending her last 30 years in Bramble Road, Petersfield. Her funeral is in St Peters Church, High Cross, Froxfield, Friday, December 23, at 2.30pm

Roma and her husband Gordon Cottan, a market gardener, met in Bournemouth and in 1959 the married couple moved into The Railway Hotel in Charles Street.

The pub and it’s huge vegetable garden was flattened in 1987 to make way for Lavant Court retirement complex.

In Roma’s day The Railway was a regular stop of for summer coach trips to Brighton and Southsea.

Son Peter, who at 16 became Petersfield Uniteds’ goalkeeper and now works in Zambia, said: “Up to 40 coaches day were stopping there, and mum ran the café next while helping dad in the pub.”

In 1969 Gordon and Roma, who danced on TV variety shows broadcast from the BBCs studio in Lime Grove and Alexandra Palace in London, took over The Trooper Inn at the top of Stoner Hill.

They and sons, Richard, 63, Michael, 62, Peter, 60, and Buster, 52, moved to Honeycritch Lane in Froxfield, but in 1979 the Cottan’s left The Trooper, another pub with a small holding.

Richard, a screenwriter in London, said: “The pub gardens let dad continue market gardening, while mum ran the pubs, she was the strong character, the one who banged heads if it was needed.”

Gordon died in 1979, and after leaving The Trooper, Roma, who was in the Land Army during World War Two, worked at Churchers College, and in local care homes.

She also worked in the Southern Electricity Board Club, now the Petersfield Youth Theatre overlooking the War Memorial.

Buster, who works for Starbucks in Indonesia, said: “She also worked on the fish stall at Petersfield market. She never stopped working.”

Michael, a vice president with Sheriton Hotels in Dubai, added: “She was a massive character, and kept us in line, right until the end she was telling us what to do.”