Gill, owner of Shellbrook Toys in Ashby de-la Zouch, has passed away at the age of 71. 

Gill’s friend, toy agent John Nicholas, commented: “Gillian had worked in Shellbrook Toys all of her working life, along with her mother Mrs Petzan (nobody called her by her Christian name, Kathleen). They were a formidable team for any salesman to sell to. They did not buy cheap toys, regardless of how much TV promotion the range had, and the personal, helpful service they offered their customers kept the shop going when others around them failed.”

“After caring for her mother through her later years, as well as running the shop, Gill continued to buy the quality and reliable toys she was happy to sell. Pam Redfern, who started to work in the shop when she was 15, became a lifelong friend of Gill for over fifty years, and we send our sympathy to her and Gill’s other friends. Shellbrook is a local legend in and around Ashby, having served the community since just after World War Two, so this is definitely the end of an era for the town,” John added.