A long-serving airport chaplain - who has supported employees and passengers at London Stansted for more than a decade - is bidding farewell to his role.
Major Sidney Pinches, from The Salvation Army, has worked for the chaplaincy since 2013 and officially stepped down from his post on Tuesday, January 30.
Airport colleagues, past and present airport chaplaincy members and Salvation Army Divisional Commander Major Howard Russell gathered to mark Sidney's retirement.
Sidney said: "Having the opportunity to serve as one of the airport's chaplains has been a true privilege.
"The airport sees more than 28 million passengers a year, not to mention 12,000 airport employees; sometimes all someone needs is a friendly face.
"Each day is different, and every time I turn up for a shift, I face the unknown.
"I've loved being a chaplain here and will miss it terribly."
At the event, airport employee Felicity O'Brien presented Sidney with a framed picture of the airport, and he was also presented with a certificate of appreciation from the Salvation Army.
London Stansted's managing director Gareth Powell said: "On behalf of all of my colleagues and stakeholders, I extend a sincere thank you to Sidney for all he has done for us over the last decade, and we wish him a very happy retirement.
"Over his tenure here, he has made countless friends and helped hundreds of passengers and colleagues, and he will be missed greatly."
Stansted Airport has six airport chaplains, whose role involves providing pastoral care, confidential listening, support and guidance to all airport employees and passengers.
As a diverse team of professionals, they have decades of experience listening to, supporting and caring for people of all ages, beliefs, backgrounds, circumstances and roles.
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They can be found anywhere within the airport wearing their purple chaplain's lanyards - as they seek to be visible and available.
The current chaplains - aside from Sidney - are Peter, Glynis, Hugh, Rod and Simon.
Anyone who would like to speak to a member of the chaplaincy team and cannot find them within the airport can contact them via phone on 07878 176551 or email them at revpete07@gmail.com.
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