Funeral arrangements have been made for a campaigner, conservationist and prolific author whose lifelong love of animals started in East Hampshire.

“Anything but black” will be the dress code when a memorial service for Molly Burkett MBE takes place at Hough-on-the-Hill church in Nottinghamshire on April 27.

Coffee, sandwiches, and her favourite, choc ices, will be served at the wake at Woodland Waters in a move typical of the former teacher and wildlife hospital founder.

Molly, who was 93 when she died in January, was well-known locally as she lived on Lasham Airfield, Shalden and between Medstead and Bentworth at times during the 1950s and 60s, while her children were born at Alton Maternity Unit.

Her “famously unconventional” life at home – think owls in cupboards, recovering seabirds in the bath – was part of her lore while the wildlife enthusiast was also a staunch activist, championing equal pay for women teachers while at Treloars and fighting against nuclear dumping, earning her the title of Britain’s first “nimby”.

While many associate her with the wildlife rehabilitation centre she set up in Lincolnshire, the idea was most likely born in East Hampshire in the 50s and 60s as she and her husband, John, began taking in sick and injured wildlife.

She also pioneered techniques for rescuing oiled seabirds following the Torrey Canyon disaster in 1967, supplied captive-bred ravens to the Tower of London, and advised the government on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

Her first book was published in 1966, and she went on to write more than 120 titles, many inspired by her experiences with wildlife.

The 2pm memorial service will be led by the King’s Chaplain, Geraldine Pond, while it is hoped that some members of Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir will be in attendance, as Molly was a member in her last few years.