TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known Bradford woman, described as a “stalwart” of her community, after she passed away at Bradford Royal Infirmary last month.

Audrey Nicholson, who was 86, was admitted to hospital and died of pneumonia - according to her death certificate - on 19 April, but she had also tested positive for coronavirus.

Audrey was born and raised in Thornton and worked as a post lady in nearby Allerton for over 30 years. Despite working long hours, six days a week, she still managed to find time for her family and her community.

Audrey - who spent her final years living in a bungalow at Willow Bank Care Village, in the Lower Grange area - was described as a “strong woman, but also a gentle lady”, by daughter Andrea Fowler and son-in-law Alan, who both grew up in Allerton.

“Audrey was a very popular lady. She was a stalwart figure and was very committed to her community”, said Alan, a retired social worker, who now lives with wife Andrea in Amble, Northumberland.

“She loved interacting with the communities in which she worked, particularly in Allerton. I am 62 now, and nearly everyone in Allerton, of our generation, knew Audrey.

“She worked very hard and would wake up at quarter to five every morning, six days a week, even around Christmas. By the time she’d finally get a day off - on Christmas day - she was exhausted.

“Back then, everyone would correspond with letters, so it was hard work, but she tackled it with enthusiasm. She even did extra jobs, like shopping for people and collecting old ladies’ pensions - she would go above and beyond and was very much a community champion.

“I knew her from the age of five or six. I would go on to marry her daughter - my wife, Andrea - in 1984.

“My mum was Alan’s post lady when he was a child - we had no idea that all these years later, we’d be married!”, Andrea, who is a nurse, added.

“Lots of people knew my mum, so now we want to share her memory. Mum would help anybody. Even when she didn’t get out of the house as much, her door was always open.

“She always made time for me and my brother, Peter. Back when I was at school, every day at around 12.30, she’d come and meet me and we’d walk home together for lunch. She used to break off from her job and come home for around 8.00 or 8.30, where she’d put my hair in ponytails.”

Audrey’s dedication to her family, her community and her job is perhaps even more admirable as, in 1984, she had to stay strong in the face of tragedy.

“Audrey’s husband, Jack, was a driver for the post office. In 1984, he was delivering remittances in his van, at Girlington Post Office”, Alan explains.

“When he got out of the van, he was attacked and robbed by two men, one was in a wheelchair and was pretending to be disabled. When he saw Jack, he jumped out of the wheelchair and threw acid at him, causing him to be blinded in his left eye.

“It went to court, but no one was prosecuted. Jack couldn’t work anymore, and it had a massive emotional impact on Audrey and all the family.

“Jack received a bravery award, from the Post Office chairman, after the incident. He passed away in 1993, aged 70, from a heart attack.”

Although Audrey’s cause of death was officially listed as pneumonia, she had also tested positive for COVID-19, and Alan believes that “coronavirus hastened her death.”

“Andrea and I came to Bradford the day before she died. Arrangements had been made for us to see her, but then the next phone call we got from BRI was to say that she had died.

“If it wasn’t for COVID-19 and all the restrictions that are in place because of it, we would have been at her bed side.”

Due to Audrey testing positive for the virus, she also had a restricted funeral - only eight people were allowed to attend.

“The funeral was very difficult, but we’re grateful that we managed to have a funeral - lots of families, who have lost loves ones, can’t do that right now”, said Andrea.

Audrey’s granddaughter, Eleanor, is a nurse who lives and works in South Africa. As she could not attend Audrey’s funeral due to the current restrictions, her brother, James, managed to live stream it to her.

“If it was possible for Eleanor to get a flight, she would have come straight away”, said Andrea.

“But James live streaming the funeral to her was a nice way to keep Eleanor involved.”

Alan added that the family is hopeful of having a larger get-together, when lockdown measures are eased, to pay tribute to Audrey.

“It’s our intention to have an afternoon tea, when the time is right. That way, the people who missed the funeral will still be able to say a proper goodbye to her.”