Brentwood Mayor Cllr Ann Coe, hospice chief executive Pam Court, Havering mayor Cllr Lynden Thorpe and Barking and Dagenham mayor Cllr Tony Ramsey.

Staff, volunteers and guests came together to mark the 28th anniversary of Saint Francis Hospice.

A birthday service was held at St John’s Church, which sits opposite the hospice in Havering-atte-Bower, near Romford on July 23.

Hospice chief executive Pam Court also presented a long-service award to Sue Lakey, who has worked at the hospice for 20 years, first as a nurse and then as a manager of the inpatient unit.

Pam said: “Sue is a real asset to the hospice and the service provided in the inpatient unit is outstanding, which is due to Sue’s leadership and the quality of her team.”

Among the guests was Barking and Dagenham Mayor, Cllr Tony Ramsey, who picked St Francis as his charity of the year.

He said: “I’ve had family cared for by the hospice and I want to give something back. I’m committed to raising money to support the specialist teams who visit people in our community.