After doing her best for 20 years, a stalwart within Essex's Guiding world has retired.

Sue Trowles, 56, has just attended her last meeting as leader of Tollesbury Brownies.

She has been involved with the group since 1988.

Although she has been based in the area for more than 20 years - she lived in Tiptree and Tollesbury before moving to Hawthorn Road, Tolleshunt Knights - her career in Guiding has taken her across the county.

Sue was a Guide herself, and was pack leader in Kelvedon until she left school at the age of 16.

She then went to college for two years, joined the police cadets, became a police officer, and then moved on to work in a book bindery, before she returned to the Guiding world in the early 1970s.

She heard the leader of her old company was retiring, so she went back to the Kelvedon unit as assistant leader.

The rest, as they say, is history. She moved to Tollesbury in 1987.

Her two children went to school in the village, and her daughter was a Brownie there.

This was the doorway that led her into the pack, which was first established in 1921.

She said: "I want to spend time with my children, and I've got a grandchild now, so I want to spend more time with her.

"I feel I've done my bit for the community, and now it's time to hand it over to someone else.

"I hope and pray they get as much enjoyment out of it as I have."

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