GORDON HENDERSON MP

It is the end of an era.

After living in Sydney House- otherwise known as 6 The Crescent - for almost thirty years, it looks as if Louise and I are going to have to leave Halfway.

Sydney House is where Michael Crawford grew up and the star of Some mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and Phantom Of The Opera, spoke affectionately of it in his popular autobiography Parcel Arrived Safely: Tied in String.

I have lived in the house since 1981 and I remember with fondness the day when Michael brought his beloved Nan, Edith Pike, back to The Crescent to see her old home for the last time.

I was up on the roof when this huge camper van pulled up and Michael Crawford got out and asked if his Nan could visit the house in which she had lived. Of course, I agreed and we joked about a wall that he had built that was in the process of falling down.

Just living in the same house as Michael has been a big inspiration for me, reminding me of how somebody from a humble background such as my own can achieve success.

Sydney House was a happy home for Michael and it has been a happy home for Louise and me. In an ideal world we would stay here for ever, but unfortunately life is not always ideal.

Lou’s parents have reached the stage where they need constant care and attention. The only way to give them that day-to-day care is to move to a house that will allow them to come and live with us.

With great sadness we have decided to put Sydney House on the market and move to a larger house somewhere else on the Island.

It will be a tremendous wrench to move from Halfway. We feel so much a part of the community here. But we feel a responsibility to Lou’s parents and Sydney House is simply not suitable for them.

However, we are determined to stay on Sheppey and will still be part of the wider Island family!