EULOGY: from work colleague Sheila Sprigge

I first met Sylvia in 2004, the year we both joined the Mortimer Market Centre, a sexual health clinic specialising in clients affected by HIV.  I liked her immediately.  She had a warmth and an ease about her which everyone noticed, as well as a strong moral stance that always guided her work. 

Sylvia came to Mortimer Market  having  qualified as a clinical psychologist, and completing a doctoral thesis on the topic of victims of torture. She had a strong desire to make psychology accessible to marginalised and disadvantaged groups. Much of her work at Mortimer Market was focused on supporting asylum seekers, many of whom had been through harrowing personal experiences. 

Sylvia excelled in building relationships with these clients, and her commitment to them was evidenced in the psychological and practical help she gave to improve their situations. She was tireless in supporting clients in immigration tribunals and liaison with the Home Office. She made a huge difference to their lives. 

Sylvia went on to chair a British Psychological Society conference focusing on working with vulnerable groups, and contributed significantly to the subsequent special edition of the professional journal “Clinical Psychologist' focusing on this topic.  Another area that Sylvia played a leading role in at Mortimer Market was the development of systemic work -  that is, therapeutic work focused on couples and families.  She led our systemic clinic during its most successful period, and this work was nationally recognised, attracting psychologists and trainees from other services.  Sylvia was an inspiration for the trainees she supervised, who left Mortimer Market with a confidence and commitment to their work, at the outset of their careers. 

Nevertheless, despite taking her work seriously, Sylvia’s impact on Mortimer Market was not just in her work with clients.  She had a brightness and lightness that affected the whole team and helped make the service an enjoyable place to work. Many of us particularly remember bouts of light-hearted and relaxed banter with Sylvia, which was often a welcome relief at the end of a long working day. Sylvia was interesting, fun and easy to confide in, and she built meaningful friendships with her colleagues, many of whom are here today.

Sylvia’s diagnosis was a huge shock for us, and her departure was a great loss to the service.  The sadness felt by her colleagues was echoed by the concern showed by her clients. Sylvia remained thoroughly professional. She had a very short notice period of 2 weeks to wind down her work, and Sylvia took this task extremely seriously. She completed her client work, arranged handovers, and wrote detailed discharge reports so that work with her clients could continue with minimum disruption. 

Shortly after this, I too left Mortimer Market, to focus on my young children. Our friendship grew deeper over this time, and our shared background in psychology helped us to confide in each other in relation to our life journeys over a period of great change for both of us.  I was delighted when Sylvia agreed to become a godparent to my youngest child. 

As many here will know, Sylvia showed a great openness about her ongoing struggle with cancer, without ever treating it as a sob-story.  She quickly adjusted to her condition, and took huge personal responsibility for managing it. She showed the same level of commitment and focus to this task as she had previously shown towards her clients at work.

Despite this commitment to her own health, Sylvia never allowed cancer to dominate her life, or to become her sole concern. She continued to live life to the full, remaining interested in the world and generous to others. For me, what I particularly remember about this period is the many fun and relaxed times we had together, for instance having pub lunches or picnics, or visiting country houses.

Sylvia also continued to show great wisdom and remained a valued confidante for me.  This is a real loss - even when composing this eulogy I found myself wishing I could phone her to get her views on what I should say. 

My life has been hugely enriched by knowing Sylvia, and I know this is true of many of those around her.  For me, it’s hard to believe she’s no longer here, but it remains impossible to forget her.  She was a real inspiration, and she leaves behind a model of living life to the full, of rising above challenge, and of committing herself to making a meaningful difference. 


Rest in peace Sylvia.