On The Buses

One Street: Market Square, Shipley #67

Doreen here is 93 years young and I had a lovely chat with her at the bus stop today. She lost her husband just a couple of years back after having been married for over 70 years! She clearly loved him very much and misses him dearly. She lives on her own in Baildon about a mile away and still comes into town regularly on the bus. I'm generally very critical of public transport in the UK, but the bus services here in the Bradford area are really very good. They underpin this community and allow the elderly folk a considerable independence. The attraction of Shipley as a shopping destination is its scale. Market Square is very self-contained. There are no big fancy branded stores here, just small shops selling people what they need at reasonable prices. The small scale also makes it a great place to meet friends and extended family. When I first saw her she was chatting away to a lovely 90 year old man who turned out to be her cousin!

Like most of her generation, Doreen was careful with money throughout her life and built up savings to make her as comfortable as possible in her old age - until the last few years of her husband's life. He suffered from Dementia and had to go into a nursing home. The thousands of pounds that cost every month consumed their life savings so she now has to survive on just her pension. As she was telling me this story a few other people caught hold of the conversation and expressed their support and indignation. It's complicated, I know, but this doesn't seem right to me. It left me feeling a little sad.

But Doreen was far from sad. I think you could say she has an irrepressible personality. I asked if I could take some shots of her and she was more than happy to oblige. She said that I had made her day. Well, you certainly made mine Doreen. You're a very special lady.