Shalford Village Hall and the large playing fields were donated by Major Guy Gilbey-Gold to Shalford residents in 1925. It is one of the gems of this small beautiful village near Braintree. The 6 acres of land have been immaculately  tended by just one man making it available and desirable for many sports and village activities to take place. This is no simple feat, the fields can take up to 3  hours per cut, sometimes needing 2 cuts per week. Lawrence has taken on this responsibility for 60 years and …… all for no charge! His generosity has saved the village tens of thousands of pounds over the years. Even when his wife sadly became very ill needing a huge amount of care, Lawrence still found the time, and even with her sad passing 3 years ago he still came every week. Andrew Hull, Vice Chairman of Shalford wrote “In this, his 86th year, Lawrence has sadly had to give   up, due to a cataract operation and, under his own admission, just not having the strength to carry on. This covid-19 situation threw a lot of plans out of the window regarding the village recognizing Lawrence for all that he has done.  A Pride of Essex Award would mean a huge amount to him and also the residents of the village”

For 28 years they have provided end of life care and respite to adults from the ages of 19, with incurable or complex conditions. The specialist team of Palliative Care Nurses and Assistants will provide the care and compassion someone at the end of their life deserves, as well as supporting their family. In addition, they support discharges from hospital to home and offer planned respite 24 hours a day. Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Hospice and Home Team continue to work at full capacity providing care for even more patients as they try to avoid unwanted hospital admissions for their vulnerable patients. Since April this year, referrals to the service have increased by 30%, meaning that the charity had to carry out many additional home visits.

The Hospice at Home Healthcare Assistants will travel on average 30 miles in one day to deliver care to patients across Essex, often changing their shifts, their normal locations and having to get to grips with PPE. All of the care provided by Havens Hospices is completely free, there is no cost to the patient or their family.

Patient Alan from Southend said, “A plan was put in place so I could go back home and now the Fair Havens Hospice at Home Team visit me every day to help with personal care, making sure that I’m comfortable in bed because I cant move too  well. Nothing is too much trouble. Even though they have to wear masks and aprons, they look after me with a smile on their faces.”