Hundreds gather to honour lollipop lady

HUNDREDS of people have paid a special tribute to a lollipop lady who walked nearly every member of her village to school.

Crowds turned out to pay their last respects to lollipop lady Eirwen Selkirk.

After working in the Rhymney village of Abertysswg for more than four decades, Eirwen’s death on March 10 came one month after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and three months after her retirement.

During her funeral former pupils at Abertysswg school sang a personalised song for Eirwen by adapting the words of one her favourite songs Any Dream Will Do.

Past pupils also raised money through a group collection for a flower wreath in the shape of the school badge.

Speaking after the funeral at St Paul’s Church, Eirwen’s daughter Lydia Miller described the funeral as a “beautiful” day.

Lydia said: “The church was packed and there were people standing outside. It was amazing. The school were a little bit worried about singing at a funeral with lots of people there but we loved it.

“When they finished there was a spontaneous round of applause.”

Formerly an employee at Smiths sewing factory, Eirwen took up the role of lollipop lady in 1977.

Speaking in December, Eirwen, known for her yellow hat and coat covered in badges, describer her retirement as an “emotional day”.

During her funeral a special effort was also made to include Eirwen’s Springer Spaniel Bob who walked alongside the bearers and family outside the church.

Lydia said: “My mum was fun, she was happy and a very colourful character so the last thing we wanted was it to be sad.

“In her dinner time she would go into school and listen to the choir sing which is why they rang me as mum was a big fan.

“I think they had the send off she would have been proud of. We had a lollipop wreath and the people of the village did a collection and bought a wreath of the school badge.”

After Eirwen’s death, more than 60 past pupils gathered at the site of the Abertysswg Primary school to lay flowers in her honour.

Lydia said: “There must have been around 100 bunches of flowers on the fence. We’ve had so many messages from people in the village and people outside. We had one man in Dubai message us as mum used to walk him to school.”

Paying tribute, Abertysswg councillor John Bevan said: “It’s a big shock to us. Everybody here knew her – you had to know Eirwen, she was so outgoing. She was a great friend of mine and worked hard for the community.

“She loved the village and, because of her job, the village loved her.”