Welcome to your updated Tribute Fund site to Sylvia. We hope that you find it a positive place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I didn't know Sylvia very long but she was so warm and open, she felt like a friend from the first day I worked with her. I loved her stories and adventures. We had some great laughs. I think of her often.

Just to let you all know, moms leaf has now been added to the Memory Tree at the hospice.

When I was clearing moms things I found a photograph I hadn't seen for a long time, taken when she lived in London after she left the West Midlands to start a new life following her divorce…. In the picture she is almost unrecognizable to me, for she has her natural dark hair, as I'd always knew her as a child before she reinvented herself as a blonde…. She is sat on a train dressed up to the nines and so happy and alive. The picture made me smile and I am so glad to have found this treasure. (It is posted below). It was taken on a night me and some of my college friends took my mom to a notorious drag club in the West End of London, Leicester Square, Kinky Gerlinky. It really wasn't the kind of place you would take your mom, but she watched us many times make crazy costumes fancy dress and put on insane amounts of make up and set off on public transport to have fantastic adventures & nights out. That night we dressed her up, took her into town and waited to be picked from the crowd of those lucky enough to get in. Of course we did, we always did! Mom saw our world first hand , the drag queens and London's fashion pack, designers, models, club kids, all the fashion students, pop stars, BOY GEORGE! (she loved Boy George) she had the time of her life dancing next to a man who wore nothing but a belt and telling anyone who would listen about the crazy club we all went to for weeks on end…. That is how I want to remember my mom, smiling with a sparkle in her eye and full of fun, ready to try anything. Others may want to remember her happy playing netball at school or going out for a burger lunch at work, rather than than the frail little bird she became because of her illness, but to me my mom will always be a fun loving, dancing, non conformist who was my best friend and inspiration.

Sylvia, well where do I start???We knew each other for years by voice only when I was on the telephone unit. At first I used to dread putting calls through to collection and getting you!!! "sort it yourself", you'd say!!! After getting used to your very dry sense of humor, I loved the banter. When you moved from collection, and joined my team, we had such a great laugh. Remember Ali's 50th? "I'm not drinking" "just 1, and i'm off to bingo" you said. Plastered aint the word!!! Remember 6 of us crammed into Kerry's tiny little car? You moaned the whole way back!!! Memories like this and a whole heap more, i'll treasure for ever. Rest in peace Sylvia, love forever Nick x x

I feel so lucky to have known such a brave, and caring lady. The last few years we have not had much contact but you were always in my thoughts. I guess I took you being here always for granted. When we worked together I always knew that if I had a problem I could talk to you, and you would tell it to me straight what I should do. I just hope that you got just as much out of our friendship as I got from it. A big thank you to you for been just an amazing person to know. I feel enriched for knowing you.

I will really miss Sylvia, Like Yvette, I too remember that boozy night out we had !! I will always remember the good times and laughs we had. During her illness she has been so brave and even though she was going through so much, always had a smile for me & Yvette when we visited her. You will be greatly missed Sylvia, rest in peace love Gill xxx

So many memories...my first day at work started with "I'm not training her, don't put her next to me!" (oh how welcome I felt lol). In week 2 Sylvia made me make my first phone call to a customer only to find out he had died 2 days earlier...that was enough to put me off phoning people for life!!! We shared regular visits to Frankie and Benny's for lunch, always having burger and chips, the waitress even stopped asking what we wanted in the end! We went on booze cruises to France stocking up on cheap nasty white wine! Will never forget the night out where Sylvia insisted she was sober, until she fell out of Gill's car and stumbled to her front door! So many fun times. The last year wasn't so much fun, especially for Sylvia, but she was so brave and dignified. Rest in peace always, you were one of a kind and I'll miss you loads x x x x