JENNY Lewis, dedicated volunteer, teacher, and the wife of Isle of Wight Festival founder, Ray Foulk, has died aged 68 following a short illness

Throughout her life, the former Carisbrooke High School pupil dedicated much of her time to the arts, education, social and community projects, and Buddhism.

Born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Mrs Lewis moved to the Isle of Wight at the age of five when her father, Michael, took on the veterinary practice in Yarmouth.

She was the third of four children, and like her siblings Kevin, Sue and Milo, will be well known to West Wighters of her era.

Her mother, Judy ­— a great advocate of the original Isle of Wight festivals ­— was asked by the Foulk brothers to work as Bob Dylan’s housekeeper during the Wooton Festival in 1969.

Through this relationship, Mrs Lewis met Ray Foulk and it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, which saw her become stepmother to Ray’s children, and, in 2020, his wife.

Having gained a teaching certificate at Hereford College in 1974, she taught at Avondale Park School in London before co-creating the Foulk Lewis Collection ­— a gallery exhibiting some of the finest French furniture and objects in the Art Deco style, on the Fulham Road, Chelsea.

Mrs Lewis gained a BA in Popular Culture with the Open University in 1984, and moved to Oxford the same year, taking on more education roles before becoming a teacher of communication skills at HMP Oxford in 1989.

Work as a homelessness project worker followed, with the creation of Home and Dry Theatre company in 1993.

Funded by the YWCA, it was a performance group made up of those who had experienced homelessness.

Through the nineties, Mrs Lewis also supported young people who were at risk of offending through the TRAX project.

In 2000, she took on a year of voluntary service overseas, developing social progress projects for women in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, before returning to develop more social, artistic and educational projects in Oxford and on the Island.

A long time follower of Nichiren Buddism, Mrs Lewis was an advocate and inspiration to many who followed this faith, opening her home for events and meetings.

She will be remembered as a keen advocate of the arts and social justice, a beautiful singer, a devoted Buddhist, and someone who was always ready for a smile and a laugh.

A small funeral ceremony will be followed by celebrations of her life in Oxford and Isle of Wight later in the year.