Tributes and donations pour in after death of popular Derbyshire postmistress

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POSTMISTRESS Kerry Day was just 45 when she died in January but, in her life, she touched the hearts of the residents she met on her post round in Hilton

Husband Steven Day, also a postman, has been overwhelmed with the support from the Hilton community, who have raised £630 for charity in her memory.

Mr Day, of Burton, said: “Kerry was a one-off girl, so bubbly, she was the life and soul of the party – that sort of girl.

“She had a cracking smile, she was always smiling.

“She was always looking positively on life, she never moaned and never complained about a thing. People used to bounce off her.

Residents from Mrs Day's post-round have raised money which they will donate to a charity of Mr Day's choice. While he is not sure yet, he is thinking about giving it to a children's cancer charity.

Mr Day, said: "The people in the village who knew her wanted to make a donation. They want to give towards cancer and I'm thinking about giving towards a charity which helps children with cancer."

Kerry's brother, Carl Malin, 53, said: "They're also on about getting a bench or a plaque somewhere in Hilton as a mark of respect.

"We were overwhelmed, we weren't expecting anywhere near that amount."

Mr Day, 40, said people warmed to his wife because she had "traditional" values as a postmistress and was popular among the residents - as well as with their dogs.

He said: "I think people used to love her personality. They could be having a bad morning but then they'd see Kerry and she'd have this gift of cheering them up straight away."

"She believed in the old-school ways of being a postie, the old values of being a postie. She was a people person and loved meeting new people.

"She&'d sometimes take treats out for the dogs on the rounds."

Mrs Day sadly lost her life with cancer on January 29, a year after receiving the all-clear from suffering with the disease previously. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

Mr Day said: "She had 28 fractions of radiotherapy and chemo and she got the all-clear in January 2015.

"After that, everything was amazing for a while and she went back to work. Then we went away on holiday in the April and she started getting shoulder pain, went off her food a bit and was not feeling right. She was lethargic.

"Eventually, it was confirmed she had liver cancer.

"She went to the Royal Derby Hospital and started a treatment of chemotherapy, she had fluid on her legs and was very poorly but she always thought she would beat this again. She was a soldier, always positive, positive, positive.

"She was determined and always saying: 'When I go back...this' or: 'When I go back to work...that'. She went back for a bit - she shouldn't have done but she did."

The money raised by the residents of Hilton will be donated once a charity has finally been decided on.