I want the whole wide world to know about my inspirational grandma.

 

When you were born in 1935 there was no telling what sort of life you were going to have.

 

Growing up on a farm with your brothers and sisters, you had to go out and catapult crows to eat for tea and catch rabbits to put in a stew.

 

You always tell me about having to walk six miles to school and when you always loved to be a tom boy jumping all over the hay stacks in the field and how your mum would never let you get away with anything but your dad did.

 

As a young woman you set off to live in Leeds to be a nanny which I know you enjoyed.

 

That’s where you met my grandad and went on to have eight children to him, four of which died, sudden deaths over about eight years and I know this really hurt you as it would anyone.

 

I'm so sorry nanna that I wasn't there to help you the way you have always been there for us.

 

When my uncle Paul tragically died in 1989 I know this could have broken you but you never let it do that.

 

You grieved like any parent and still do but you never give up.

 

When my auntie, uncle, and mum was growing up in Hull through your pain and grieving of losing your children, being a single mum and having a full time and part time job making sure bills were paid, you still held your head high and kept your family together as a unit.

 

You worked seven days a week for eight years and never had a day off, from then on it was 6 days a week.

 

I know you had Elsa your best friend helping you but as a single mum and bringing up your four children in those days it was a case of you had to work.

 

From as far as I can remember nanna we have been so close all of us. I remember the weekends on the mystery trips and the shopping days when you took me out you would have let me buy the shops if I wanted {ohhhh you did spoil us, me and my brother}.

 

You give me so many fantastic priceless memories from my chldhood nanna I thank you for that everyday.

 

When I was growing up and my mum was taking care of me and my brother you and my auntie Angie who you have always had to care for and always will because of her disabilities.

 

You make sure she has a routine with meals because of her diabetes and you have to make sure she has her umpteen tablets per day.

 

When your partner was ill {who has sadly just died} you had to look after him, you had to bed bath him. He was fully incontinent so you had to change him three or four times a day.

 

Nanna I want to thank you for all the times you have changed people's lives.

 

When I gave birth to my second child and me and my mum fell out, I came to stay with you. Angie gave her bed up for me and my eldest child, you made sure my tea was on the table for me returning from work, you are so traditional, god heavens knows how you got the time though!

 

You don't get help off social services, you don't claim benefits for what you are entitled to because you see it as it not being your money.

 

The only money you would ever spend is what you have earned. Even at the age of 75 you still work making a difference to the residents’ lives in the the home for mentally ill where you work.

 

Even when you get a present as money or giftcard you still give it to one of us to go and get ourselves something with.

 

When I eventually got a house off the council and moved in, I never had anything not a carpet or nothing as I had previously been staying at my mums down the street from you.

 

You went and bought me a fridge, freezer, washer, cooker and settee. You bought my daughter's bed for me so I wasn't struggling.

 

Because of the situation I was in financially I didn’t have the money together before my child was born so you helped and did extra shifts at work to help me.

 

I want to thank you also for making my mum the person she is today and always has been. She is just as caring and loving.

 

You have made us what we are today, the way we all work our butts off and have never been out of a job and the way we go into work even when we can barely move.

 

You are our motivation and I look back to when you were working at the pub and you fell down the stairs and broke every bone in your foot. You still hobbled till the end of your shift and were still not late the next day after spending half your night in hospital.

 

Nanna, you have struggled all your life, battling with one thing after another. I want you to be happy so much it hurts.

 

I hope if this gets published it will make a difference to people’s lives.