AN ENTIRE community is united in grief with plans to hold a vigil and name a till after a much-loved supermarket staff member who died suddenly.

Amanda Hopkins, known as Mandy, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, January 30.

The entire Dines Green estate has been left in mourning over Miss Hopkins' death where she had lived all of her life and worked at the Co-op for nearly 40 years.

Miss Hopkins' sister, Josie Griffiths, said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of messages while a 'shopping trolley of condolence' has pride of place inside the supermarket.

"She always had a smile on her face," she said.

"She worked at the Co-op for nearly 40 years, they even closed the shop in honour of her.

"There has been a fantastic community spirit, I have been overwhelmed by how amazing it has been.

"She was very loved and the whole estate is in mourning. We need more people like my sister because she was extremely loyal to work for the same company for so many years."

Flowers have been left outside Miss Hopkins' Tudor Way home by other residents.

A plaque honouring Miss Hopkins will be placed outside the shop, and a till named after her.

The shop was closed following Miss Hopkins' death out of respect and brother Allan Hopkins said the grief over her death was something he had never seen.

"The funeral is going to massive, certainly the biggest in my life," he said. "There's going to be balloons let off with messages and candles will be lit.

"People are going above and beyond for my sister, she was the life and soul of the estate and Co-op.

"We've seen tributes that have been left not only by people on the estate outside of her home but also by people around Worcester.

"She was like a guardian angel to everyone."

Susan Colwell, who is manager at the Co-Op where Mrs Hopkins worked, said: "I knew Mandy for many, many years as I worked at the shop for as long as she'd been there. 

"She was such a happy, go-lucky person. We used to listen to an 80s playlist on a morning at work singing along. I'm still in shock that she is no longer with us.

"Customers are really going to miss her. She wasn't just a colleague, she was a friend."

A vigil to celebrate Mrs Hopkins' life has been planned for Tuesday, February 6 at the Co-Op on Dines Green.