Staff at Hadleigh Nursing Home, in Friars Road, Hadleigh, feel honoured to have received a certificate from the Lord Lieutenant for Suffolk praising their "selflessness" and "sense of duty" during the pandemic.

In an accompanying letter to home manager Jan Seal, the Lord Lieutenant, Clare, Countess of Euston, writes: "I would like to thank you for the contribution you have made during the extraordinary and difficult circumstances of the Covid 19 crisis."

The letter highlights the "innovation, collaboration, courage and generosity" demonstrated by people across the county, describing it as "truly inspirational and uplifting".

It continues: "Our care homes have been at the forefront of the battle. Thank you for the huge amount of work you have done to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community."

The Countess describes it as a privilege to award the Lord Lieutenant's special certificate of merit for Hadleigh Nursing Home's "remarkable contribution."

Jan said: "It's been a very challenging time for everyone, physically, emotionally and mentally, so it is a lovely thought from the Lord Lieutenant to send us this certificate and letter.

"Staff have been amazing, pulling together as a team, and we have come out the other side stronger."

She said they were looking forward to developing a memorial garden during the spring to commemorate not just residents who had sadly passed away during the pandemic but also members of the wider Hadleigh community cruelly affected by Covid.