Tributes pour in for popular 'Book Lady' from North Bersted

Shirley Henry died from cancer at her home on Saturday, February 28, with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Kay, by her side.

She had fought a long battle against the disease which had spread from her bones to her liver. She was 63.

Mrs Henry's devotion to raising money for Fordwater Special School in Chichester saw her win the best volunteer prize in the Observer community awards last December.

Her appearance at the ceremony was followed by a guest spot on Channel Four's Paul O'Grady Show to recognise her work for the school.

She raised some 34,000 by selling secondhand books for as little as 10p each during some 17 years. Her presence at car boot sales starting at the former Bognor Regis bus station site, at the Arun Leisure Centre in Felpham, Chichester railway station car park and, until last March, at Ford, will be fondly remembered by many visitors.

Mr Henry said: "Everyone affectionately knew my wife as the 'Fordwater School Book Lady'. She was a very down-to-earth person. If there was a problem, it was there to be solved.

"Doing all she could to maintain the good name of Fordwater School, Shirley was embarrassed when she was made the centre of attention as she was on a number of occasions."

She was given a Chichester District Council merit award, a Bersted Parish Council certificate of parish pride and became the Arun volunteer of the year in 1995.

Mr and Mrs Henry, of Addison Way, met when they worked at a bakery in their home town of Bradford.

Mr Henry was 18 when they married in a partnership which was in its 44th year.

Their early years together were spent with Mr Henry in the army before they settled in North Bersted.

Mrs Henry came across Fordwater's pupils, who have severe learning difficulties, when they regularly visited the shop where she used to work. She suggested the school when Mr Henry wanted to raise funds for a half-marathon. Her enthusiasm to support it stemmed from there.

Anyone with memories of Mrs Henry are welcome to join her family at Chichester Crematorium at 2.30pm on Monday, March 9,to say farewell to her.

Alyzn Johnson, one of the assistant headteachers at Fordwater School, said Mrs Henry had been a true friend of the school and liked the determination of the pupils to be as independent as possible.

"She was a fantastic lady. She was a very warm, genuine person and she just had that very warm sense about her.

"She would come in and chat particularly to the staff and she just liked seeing what the children did.

"She once came to an assembly at the school and really she didn't ask anything of the school, she just wanted to do something to help.

"She was one of those selfless people who gave up such a lot of time for us."

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