Guardian Rose for South Anston woman

Zena Robinson was presented with the rose by her parents Kenneth and Shirley Hallam during a weekly coffee morning at South Anston Methodist Church on Wednesday morning.

Kenneth wanted to give her a Guardian Rose as a way of thanking her for everything she does for her family, and as a way of marking her birthday.

He said: “She is always there for everybody else and we thought it would be a nice surprise to thank her for everything that she does.”

“I wanted to reward her and I thought the Guardian Rose would a brilliant way.”

“She is always there for us and my sister, who isn’t very well. She is house bound and Zena is always there helping out, doing her shopping and anything else she needs.”

“She helps out at the church, as well as working and looking after her family including her husband and two daughters.”

Zena, of South Anston, celebrated her 54th birthday on Thursday and her parents thought that giving her the rose was another fitting way to mark the occasion.

Shirley said: “I don’t know how she fits it all in. She is there for us all.”

Zena, who runs AJR Jewellery in Dinnington with her husband, was surprised with the rose infront of regulars at the coffee morning.

She said: “I can’t believe it. I thought my parents were here because it is my birthday on Thursday.”

Zena said she doesn’t think her actions are anything special.

“It’s just what you do isn’t it?” she said. “They are my mum and dad. I don’t think about helping them, I just do, they’re my parents.”

The mother-of-two not only helps at the church’s coffee morning, but also at the chapel every Sunday and with its regular fundraising events.

She added: “We’re also organising a coffee morning for Macmillian, as part of their big coffee morning event, a week on Friday.”

In rare moments of spare time Zena enjoys reading and amateur dramatics and is a member of Blyth Players.