IT’S not often that volunteer fundraiser Sheila Tarrant is silenced, but for once she was rendered speechless — at being on the receiving end of a surprise presentation at Tesco’s Callington branch recently.

Her friends and colleagues from Children’s Hospice South West organised the surprise for her where she was presented with a bouquet for her extraordinary fundraising efforts

Community fundraiser for the charity, Zoe Partridge, said: “Sheila raised £32,000 for us last year and she has brought in £20,750 since January.

“On behalf of all of the team at Children’s Hospice South West, I would like to thank Tesco for their recognition of the tremendous amount of fundraising that Sheila Tarrant has done for the charity. Without volunteers like Sheila we simply couldn’t offer the care and support for families that we do at our three hospices and we really do have the local communities around our hospices to thank for that.”

Alan Woollcombe from Tesco, who arranged the presentation, said: “Sheila has been here every month without fail ever since the store opened in 2010. For years she has organised an army of ‘slaves’ (as she calls them) to knit for her an assortment of delightful knick-knacks. She then charms our customers with her stories and cajoles them into parting with amazing sums of money! And when she’s not here, customers always ask when she is next in.

“I am only sorry we couldn’t knit an award for her, but this bouquet is a small token of the high esteem we hold for her and her unflagging efforts over the years.”

Confessing herself ‘flabbergasted’, Sheila, said: ”Thank you very much to everybody. I’ve worked with children all my life and this is a way I feel I can help those in special need.”

One of the other volunteer fundraisers, Brenda Hooton from Launceston, said: “She’s the best fundraiser in the entire world! It’s a pleasure and honour to help her.”