A mourning husband's tribute to his late wife on 'their bench' has gone viral, after the heartbreaking story was posted online.
Brian and Kay Holmes went on their first date in Southend nearly 22 years ago, where they shared battered sausages, chips and a can of coke.
The couple went on to get married, have a family and share their lives together.
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Devastatingly, Kay died aged 53 on 21 January this year after she was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal bone cancer in 2014, after a lump was found in her breast.
Heartbroken Brian left a tribute to his wife on a bench in Epping where they used to people watch together on the day of the couple's anniversary on 21 June.
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The sweet note says: "This heart is for my wife, mummy and best friend who lost her battle to cancer and the rest of the people who lost their battle."
It quickly caught the eye of the local community, who rushed to share their support.
Brian, 54, told Essex Live: "We used to sit on the benches and she said to scatter some of her ashes where we would have battered sausage and chips and a can of coke.
"I planned it and said to the kids I was going to start the scattering on our anniversary, June 21, and one of the places she wanted to go was Epping bench as well as Greenacre, Walton-on-the-Naze, Bournemouth, where we planned to retire, and finish at Southend, where we had our first date."
Speaking about the tribute in Epping, Brian said: "I put the heart on there and then I thought 'What is everyone going to think it means?' So I told my little one to write this note for me and just explain why the heart is there and that's when it all started off.
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"It got posted on Facebook with someone saying if I needed to talk, they were there but I don't want them thinking I'm depressed, it was just to tell her friends what bench it was so they went over there and sat on the right one."
Brian shared many special moments on the bench with Kay. He said: "We used to sit there laughing at people and people watching. She would come out with the silliest things and I'd think 'Where did that come from?
"When I look back on all our memories together, everyone just says she was laughing. I can always hear that funny laugh."
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Kay was initially diagnosed in 2013, six years after the couple married in 2007.
The mum just wanted to get through Christmas Day, her birthday, and her youngest daughter's birthday on 29 December.
Kay didn't feel well in the day, but dedicated Brian said it was still the 'perfect Christmas'.
He added: "I said we are not opening anything yet, it's got to be done when mum comes down we will.
"Kay couldn't make it downstairs and we said that's fine and had dinner, she said she didn't want anything and then she said 'I think I can manage downstairs' and Christmas night, she sat in the corner and said 'I just want to listen to you lot laughing'."
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On 21 January, Kay passed away with Brian at her side.
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