Pauline Harvey, who worked as a maternity care assistant at Wallingford Hospital for 48 years, has died aged 64.

Mrs Harvey, of Radnor Road, Wallingford, started at St George's Ward when she was just 16 - and carried on working there until shortly before her death.

She helped care for thousands of babies born at the maternity unit where she was known as "Pauline Quiff". The name stuck because she gave all the newborn babies a little quiff in their hair.

Her daughter-in-law, Keri Harvey, said: "She was very well known in the town having had such a long career in the maternity section and she was a very popular lady.

"There were more than 250 people at her funeral."

She died of cancer in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, on October 24 and her funeral was at St Mary's, Wallingford, on November 5. She was buried in Wallingford cemetery.

Her husband Roy and son Nigel presented £1,000 collected in Mrs Harvey's memory, for cancer research at the John Radcliffe Hospital, last week.

She is survived by her husband of 43 years, son and daughter Nigel and Catherine and three grandchildren.