17 October 2019
Ex-Architect’s wish to return to fire station 38 years after built is granted
90-year-old John Breavington was granted his wish to return to the fire station he had a hand in designing after expressing his desire recently to employees at Admiral Court, our care home in Leigh on Sea.
John, who worked for Southend Borough Council and Southend County Hall as an Architect, was responsible for the build of various public service buildings across Essex including the fire station, Holy Trinity Church and several schools in South Woodham Ferrers and this was the first time he has visited the fire station in 38 years.
Joined by care home team members and friends, John was asked to sign the VIP signing in book and treated to a tour of the fire station which was opened on May 21st 1981 by the Queen when she came to open the town centre.
On this date the Queen had lunch at the fire station and prior to her visit John had to modify the toilets to allow for a lady’s lavatory as at the time the fire service only consisted of men.
Following John’s visit, he was escorted by members of the fire station team to Holy Trinity Church which he opened a few years later to have a look around.
Al Green, Station Manager at South Woodham Ferrers Fire Station said: “It was a pleasure to meet John, the person who had done a superb job of designing and creating the station. It’s amazing that a station that was built in 1981 is still used for training for most of the local fire stations and this is as a result of John’s foresight and planning.”
Resident John Breavington, 90, said: “I am very grateful to the fire station for their time and I felt honoured to be able to sign the VIP signing in book. I am proud of what I had designed and built and I was so delighted that I could go back and see how my work had benefitted the community.”
Lifestyle Leader at Admiral Court Care Home, Sarah Savidge said: “It has been a pleasure making a wish come true for John, when you walk around South Woodham Ferrers and see the contribution that John has made to this community, you can really see how much one person can make a difference to an entire town.”
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