Volunteer says goodbye after two decades at shop (From Oxford Mail)

Volunteer says goodbye after two decades at shop

7:00am Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News By Amanda Williams

WHEN Sheilah Robinson retired from her beloved Saturday job it was with a hint of sadness.

The 78-year-old has enjoyed her time volunteering at the Clic Sargent charity shop in Headington for the past two decades so much that her fellow workers and the shop’s regulars are more like friends to her.

Mrs Robinson, of London Road, Headington, started working at Clic Sargent when she retired from her nursing job at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC) 19 years ago, and has loved every minute of it.

But Mrs Robinson’s husband Harry, one of the Oxford in Bloom judges, has had a stroke.The keen gardener is on the mend but will need round the clock care when he returns from hospital.

Mrs Robinson said: “I will miss it so much, the people, everything.

“But Harry comes first.

“He is making good progress now, but I will need to be there for him.”

Mrs Robinson has become a familiar friendly face at the shop where many customers remember her from her days on the children’s ward at the NOC.

The former nurse took early retirement from her role at the hospital because she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis and struggled to be able to lift the patients.

She said: “A friend of mine asked me if I was interested in helping out at the shop and I said yes.

“I will miss the people the most, and the company.

“I love watching the world go by.”

Mrs Robinson was given a send off by colleagues at the shop in London Road on Saturday, her last day.

She said: “I’ve had a lovely time working here.

“I would like to say a special goodbye to Debbie Williams who I used to work with here and Sharon Walton.

“Both have been wonderful to work with. Everyone has.”

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