Tributes have been paid to a former nurse and charity volunteer and fundraiser who has died aged 77.
Olive Carter, well known for her volunteer work at Barnard Castle’s Marie Curie charity since it opened in 2014, had a long history of involvement in the annual Meet weekend and community activities.
The youngest of four children, Olive was born on March 14, 1948, to John and Susan Nicholson at the family home of Newton, near Eggleston.
She attended Eggleston Primary School and Middleton-in-Teesdale Secondary before doing her O-levels at Bishop Auckland Technical College.
She then attended Harrogate Nurse Training Academy and, while training, fell in love with Vince Carter. They married in November 1969 in Eggleston with the reception at Heather Brae Hotel in Middleton.
They had their first child Sarah in 1971 while living in Stainton, and in 1973 welcomed the arrival of Nicola after moving to Northumberland where Vince worked as a welder for Glaxo.
The returned to Teesdale in 1979 when they bought a taxi business and renamed it Carter’s Cabs with the catchline ‘Get Carter to drive you to drink’.
Her caring nature was described her daughter Sarah.
She said: “For more than a decade she looked after her mother as her carer, she was there to help when Vince’s mother fell, Olive was the only person Kathleen would take orders from! In later years she would help nurse her brother-in-law Derek and then his wife June, and, of course, she would also help look after her brothers Percy and Cliff.”
Tragedy struck in November 1988 when Vince died unexpectedly at home at age 44.
In the wake of his death Olive began fundraising for the local ambulance to buy a scanner (defibrillator), encouraging staff to take part in the Meet fun run and Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.
It was during this time that she joined the Meet committee, helping organise the carnival queen crowning ceremony.
She also returned to nursing at this time, serving at Whorlton Grange and soon being promoted to deputy matron and then matron.
Olive’s son Mark said: “Not only did Olive nurse the residents, she also inspired young people to join the profession, and not forgetting the significant role she played in organising the annual fete too.”
She later took up the post of matron at Beaconsfield.
Her daughter Nicola said: “Work played a significant role in Olive’s life, but we certainly can’t say that life was all about work. Olive did like to keep herself busy too, and she had that caring nature about her, and it was such a natural ability she had.
“From when the shop first opened in 2014 up until earlier this year, she volunteered at Marie Curie in town, both in the shop and by raising funds by selling her craft creations. Her Marie Curie friends and colleagues became a huge part of her life.”
Olive used her love for knitting to raise thousands of pounds for charity including her owl hats which alone raised £2,000.
She hand-knitted socks, went to craft fairs and table-top sales and most recently her “worry worms” raised £350 for the charity.
Olive died on April 15 after suffering a pulmonary embolism.
She is survived by her children Sarah, Nicola and Mark, sons-in-law Nigel and Derek, and niece Katherine O’Neill.
