HUNDREDS packed into St Mary’s Church in Wombwell last week to remember the life of a community hero who everyone in the town recognised.

Joan Robinson died on December 13, aged 84, having lived an incredible life that made her a kind of local celebrity.

Working as a teacher at both Barnsley Girls’ High School and Barnsley Sixth Form College, Joan made an impact on countless young people’s lives, but it was the work she did after her retirement that really made her stand out.

Becoming a lay reader at St Mary’s, she would hold regular services and was involved in organising many funerals, where she would visit the family of the deceased and build a personal connection with them.

Outside of church, she also took on work with a variety of community groups like the Friends of Wombwell Cemetery and Mothers’ Union.

“You name it, she belonged to it,” said her best friend Helen Bellamy.

“She was a part of the community everyone knew.

“Her dedication to Wombwell was amazing - she did whatever she could to help.”

Following a fall last year, Helen said that people from across Wombwell turned up to help Joan after she’d given so much of her time back into the community.

“People just started turning up at her house to visit and look after her,” she added.

“They turned up at the hospital, and they turned up at the nursing home - it was just about meeting her and helping with whatever needs she had.

“A team developed who didn’t know one another before, but now were learning about each other and exchanging phone numbers.

“It was obviously brilliant.”

Her funeral took place last Thursday, with Helen having the ‘enormous privilege’ of helping to organise.

“There were well over 150 people at the funeral - I had 150 service programs printed out and it wasn’t enough.

“She was someone who once you know her you were friends for the rest of your life.”