A GRANDMOTHER who spent 30 years working with dementia sufferers is to have a cafe named after her as a tribute to her dedication.

A plaque will also be unveiled at the opening where friends and family of Geraldine Sharp will share memories and pay their respects.

Geraldine's Community cafe at the Cherry Trees Residential Home, Bestwood, will open on Friday, September 10, at 2pm.

Deputy manager Deborah Reeve, who worked with Geraldine for the past 18 years, believes it is a fitting tribute for someone who worked so hard.

She said: "Geraldine put her heart, soul and her whole life into working for Nottingham City Council and for Cherry Trees, and she aimed for the best for all her service users.

"She travelled the whole country looking at different units to get inspiration and new ideas and we travelled all over looking for furniture and the right equipment for the home here."

To recognise the involvement that Geraldine, of Mansfield, had in setting up the residential home, a minute's silence was held at the official opening on July 30.

The mother-of-two died of a heart attack on July 1, aged 58, shortly before the home opened.

Deborah, 53, of Bestwood, believes Geraldine would have been proud of the final result.

She said: "I just cannot explain how much pride Geraldine took in her job and the work she did and the staff at the centre. She was really excited about the opening and I'm sure she would have been very proud.

"It was very hard holding the opening without her and the staff and residents at the home were very upset, as I was.

"Geraldine was not only my manager but also my closest friend.

"It broke my heart when she died."

Councillor Brian Grocock, who opened the home in July, believes the cafe is a fitting tribute.

"Geraldine was a magnificent person," he said. "She was well respected by all the staff at the home and by the residents and their relatives.

"She was an extremely caring person and she lived and died for that particular home and put so much into getting the new one open by choosing the decor, the furniture and the equipment.

"It was just a real shock that she passed away. The new cafe is a really fitting tribute to her and that will go on for a considerable length of time and help people remember her for many years."