FRIENDS of a dad who died of a brain tumour have thought of a touching way to keep his memory alive – and say thank you to the nursing home which cared for him.

David Herrington, who spent the last few weeks of his life at Woodland Grove Care Home, in Loughton, where he received “awesome” care.

He was just 39 when he moved in last November, having been diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2011 and then again in 2015.

His colleagues HSBC in Canary Wharf, where he worked as a savings product manager, decided to spend a day at the home painting the fence and improving the garden.

Debbie Thomas, head of savings at the bank, said his colleagues were keen to honour his memory.

She said: “We had a fantastic day – a little emotional at times but we’ve loved meeting the nursing staff and residents.”

David’s wife, Shaz, has praised the care her husband received.

She said: “I didn’t know if a nursing home would take him as he was so young, but the care David received from the fabulous team was beyond all expectation.

“We will never forget their efforts and courtesy during the last few weeks and moments of my husband’s life. They are a truly awesome group of human beings.”

The home was keen to make sure David’s children Layla, four, and Daniel, two, were never apprehensive about coming to visit.

Although the majority of residents are elderly, Jo Coughlan, operations manager, said they were delighted to welcome David.

She said: “It may seem unusual for a 39 year old to move into a care home but it does happen – we have the ability to care for anyone over 18. “It’s what personalised care for people in our community is all about.

“We gave David a quiet room and we installed satellite TV so he could watch football with his friends as he was a lifelong Spurs fan.

“We put a couple of guinea pigs in a cage in the corridor for the children and made sure there were baskets of toys and things for them to do.”