Sheffield grandmother thanks 'wonderfully kind' people who have helped her after Tesco delivery driver refused to bring shopping to her door

A Sheffield grandmother who is self-isolating due to poor health has spoken out about the ‘kind’ response from people offering to help after she was left to carry bags of shopping up nine floors to her flat when a Tesco delivery driver refused to help her.
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Last week The Star reported that Valerie Ashworth, 75, of Upperthorpe, was left in tears and frightened for her health after the delivery driver refused to bring her shopping to her, insisting on leaving the bags outside the block of flats so she had to pick it up herself.

Valerie, who suffers from a tumour, COPD, diabetes, ulcers, high blood pressure and angina attacks, is not supposed to have any contact with anybody else due to her vulnerability to coronavirus.

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After hearing Valerie’s story, a number of people have gone out of their way to help her and make sure she gets the shopping she need without having to endanger herself and leave her flat again.

Valerie Ashworth, 75, of Upperthorpe.Valerie Ashworth, 75, of Upperthorpe.
Valerie Ashworth, 75, of Upperthorpe.

Valerie said: “Things are looking up for me in body and in mind thanks to these wonderfully kind people.

“After I carried all that shopping up the stairs I had an angina attack and my ulcers flared up, but I am doing better now.

“Kathryn Higgins from South Yorkshire Housing Association has been in touch and she now comes to me to get a list and does shopping for me.

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“I have also been helped by Fran Belbin, who has been shopping for me many times. She has been brilliant to me.

“She went into my local Tesco – which is not the one I ordered the delivery from – and showed the manager the story about the delivery driver and he gave me a bouquet of flowers to say sorry on behalf of Tesco, which was a nice gesture.”

Valerie also said that she had been helped by a man who rang up to speak to her as part of his work for the government contacting every person who is registered as vulnerable.

She said that the man, whose name is Alex, spoke to her about her problems and when he found out where she lived he told her that he lived in Broomhill and have her his personal number so she can call him if she needs help. Alex has also been voluntarily doing shopping for Valerie when she needs it.

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“He has been so lovely,” Valerie said. “It makes me cry thinking about how much these people are doing for me. There are some such kind people in the world.

“It is so reassuring when people help like this. When something like this happens to elderly people like me it is so hard to do anything about it.

“I am not on the internet so it is so hard to get through to a person to make a complaint. Luckily I had my granddaughter Anna to help me.

“I worry that what has happened to me could have happened to other elderly people in flats like mine.”

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