A woman who started volunteering at a hospice after her husband died is celebrating 25 years of service with the charity.

Marilyn Coleclough first came into contact with St Clare Hospice in Harlow when her husband George became ill.

Overwhelmed by the "excellent" care he received and left with a "lasting impression" of the work the hospice does, the Debden resident began fundraising for St Clare after Mr Coleclough died in 1993.

The 77 year-old said: "I was invited to my first fundraising meeting at St Clare Hospice in late 1993, after I had donated an auction prize and was invited to the meeting as a guest.

"The fundraising group needed to raise £1.75 million to build an Inpatient Unit at the Hospice and that was the main item under discussion.”

She would go on to help build that unit and see it open in 1999 and then start the Loughton Friends group, which has raised £180,000 for St Clare.

Mrs Coleclough added: “Although the Friends group folded after 20 years, the support is still there today and we are still raising over £2,000 a year with our quiz nights.

"Volunteering has given me the opportunity to make friends that are still with me today.

"For me, volunteering for St Clare has been my life for the past two decades, and I have loved every minute of it."

St Clare Hospice is celebrating national Volunteers’ Week from June 1 to 7 along with organisations, charities and communities across the UK.

The Hospice has more than 500 volunteers who help it deliver services across West Essex.

Rob Wallace, St Clare’s voluntary services manager, said: “It is inspiring that Marilyn has volunteered for St Clare for so many years and that her efforts, energy, and team-working in her community, have led to an incredible £180,000 being raised over the past two and a half decades.

"We are incredibly grateful to Marilyn, and we want to offer her our sincere thanks and a huge congratulations on reaching such an amazing milestone.

"St Clare simply could not operate without the help of volunteers like Marilyn, who give their time and skills to make a difference to the Hospice and our patients.”

For more information about how you can volunteer with St Clare Hospice, visit their website at www.stclarehospice.org.uk/volunteer or contact Mr Wallac on rob.wallace@stclarehospice.org.uk or call 01279 773722.