My Dad was an amazing man. He loved Mum so much, but also the rest of his family and particularly his grandchildren. He was loved not just by his family but also, as we are now discovering, by an enormous amount of people whose lives he'd enriched through his friendship and support. Dad was a committed Christian who was interested most of all in people and how to connect with them. 

You might know him through his work with churches together, through his love of sailing, through his work in the community or have been blessed to be his friend or family member. Dad was a highly skilled architect and worked on a lot of projects across Essex and many of the church buildings in the area. He also worked in Albania, a country and people that he grew to love.

Many of you will know of his battle with cancer. Throughout his illness he showed amazing strength (and at times stubbornness). Towards the end he was in a lot of pain and discomfort but he was able to use his strength of will to find a smile for his adored grandchildren and a joke for the nurses at Farleigh. 

Farleigh have been truly amazing. The care they have shown for Dad and also the sympathy and support they have given Mum and the rest of the family when we were so low made an awful time more bearable. It's difficult to express in words how grateful we are to the nurses, doctors and volunteers at the hospice. 

If you could donate something to support the amazing work they do then that would be a fitting tribute to my Dad's life and would help other families in the same situation.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.