Sylvia gifted after years of service to the community

Mrs Sylvia Goldthorpe, who lives in Crane Moor, was presented with a selection of festive goodies at the Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care branch on the High Street, Penistone, after what has been a tough year.

In April her husband Edward, who had been unwell for several years, died in a care home at the age of 81 after contracting coronavirus.

The couple were well-known after delivering milk in the area for 54 years.

With only a small funeral allowed because of restrictions, people lined the streets of the village of Crane Moor to pay their respects.

A memorial service at Wortley Church is to be held next year.

Branch manager Amy Roe said: “Sylvia is a lovely lady who has been a loyal customer of ours for many years.

"She does a lot of work to support her local church and is always there to offer support to others, even though she has a lot on herself.

“We nominated Sylvia in our company’s festive campaign, which recognises special people with a surprise gift and a £50 Scrivens voucher. She certainly deserves it.”

Sylvia said: “It was a lovely surprise and very kind of Amy to think of me.

"I was quite emotional as it is a nice thing to happen in what has been a bad year.”

Family business Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care asked its 174 branches in England and Wales to nominate customers who they felt deserved a Christmas treat. The best were chosen to receive a gift box.

Established in 1938, Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care is a family-owned and family-run business. It has over 180 ‘optical and hearing care’ branches, as well as many other ‘hearing only’ outlets in independent opticians and medical centres.

The business was started by Solomon Scriven, a qualified optician and pharmacist, and over the years has grown to include branches from Hartlepool in the north to Penzance in the south, Diss in the east to Rhyl in the west.

For more information on the company, visit scrivens.com

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