Silver End: A special celebration as garden village commemorates its centenary

Silver End is commemorating the centenary of its founding as a garden village this year and one Essex police officer has been a huge part of village life for more than half that time.

Derek Hopkins is Deputy Chief Officer of Essex Police Special Constabulary and a familiar and respected figure in the local community.  

It was in this capacity he was invited by the parish council to attend Silver End’s 100^th anniversary celebration on 17 April. He was accompanied by the force’s Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin, who grew up in the village and was inspired by Derek to join the Specials himself.

Derek says:

“After living in Silver End for 52 years, I feel I’m now a resident and I was honoured to be invited to attend the 100^th anniversary celebration in my professional role.”

Derek moved to Silver End from London’s East End in 1974 and discovered village life for the first time. He has never looked back, raising his family in the village and becoming deeply involved in the community through Scouts, Cubs, the primary school and the iconic village hall.

And it’s that strong sense of community which has kept him and his family in Silver End and has shaped his approach to policing.

“I understand how much it means to people who might not normally come into contact with the police to see officers when they need them.
“They need to feel there is someone there, listening.
“Simply talking to people and showing understanding can diffuse a lot of situations. That personal contact is what I value, and it’s something special constables are well-placed to provide.
“Silver End has a real community feel to it, rooted in the legacy of the Crittall family and the heritage homes in the conservation area. Lots of residents are descendants of people who worked for the Crittall factory so there’s still that understanding of why the village exists.
“Even though the village has doubled in size over the past 10 years, new residents say they can still feel that sense of community – which they didn’t where they lived previously. That’s what keeps us here.”

Derek joined Essex Police as a volunteer special constable in 1980, initially working from the village police house before policing in Colchester, Great Dunmow and, later, Braintree. Promotion through the ranks followed.

Nowadays, in his role as Deputy Chief Officer of Essex Police Special Constabulary, Derek trains officers to safely patrol and police higher-speed roads and attends recruitment and major events across the county.

And he is still closely involved in policing Silver End, where he is so well-known.

“It’s my community.
“I get asked a lot of questions and people appreciate having things explained.”

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin grew up in Silver End, a village that has shaped both his life and his career.

Encouraged by Derek, the father of a friend of his, Glen became a volunteer special constable at 18. He says: 

“I loved every minute of it.”

At the time, he was working as a microbiology lab assistant in Braintree but quickly realised he wanted a different future.

“I joined the regulars in September 1998. I’d been a Special for just over a year by then and I’d made arrests, been out on proactive and reassurance patrols and policed events.”

Silver End remains close to Glen’s heart. His family has deep roots in the village, his grandfather worked at Crittall’s, they lived in one of the original Crittall houses in Valentine Way and his childhood was filled with a paper round, time spent outdoors, Cubs and Scouts, which is how he met Derek.

“Silver End has been a huge part of my life.
“Some of my best friends still live there. It’s such a close-knit, vibrant community and I have such positive memories of the village. It had everything we needed growing up.”

Since joining as a constable, Glen has policed in a variety of roles and ranks across the county and says his Silver End upbringing shaped his approach to policing.

“Community is so important, as is being visible, approachable and engaging. It all builds trust.
“And that’s what our neighbourhood policing teams, particularly our police community support officers, do every day – people know who you are and who to talk to. It’s about trust and reputation.”

Silver End: A very 'model' village

More than 100 years ago, prominent local industrialist Francis Henry Crittall dreamt of creating a 'model' village for the workers in his metal window factories.

And the foundation stone was laid in 1926, when Silver End was still little more than a hamlet five miles from Witham.

The celebrations in which DCO Derek Hopkins and ACC Glen Pavelin were invited to take part were organised by Silver End Parish Council.

Chairman Andrew Bugg says councillors were ‘overwhelmed’ by a turnout of around 400 from the local community on 17 April, including local councillors, Witham MP Priti Patel and Essex Deputy Lord Lieutenant Simon Brice.

“The weather was perfect, we had about 90 children from the school and Scouts and Guides were out in force from the very young to teenagers.
“All our guests engaged with community like they were old friends, which many of them are.”

Following speeches in Temple Lane, the celebrations moved to Silver End Memorial Gardens where a traditional Japanese Torii gate*, was unveiled by James Burns, great-grandson of Francis Henry Crittall. He was accompanied by his son and grand-daughter, making three generations of the Crittall family in attendance.

The gate was chosen for the Japanese Garden within the memorial gardens, designed by Walter Francis Crittall, son of Frances Henry, in memory of his parents

Then proceedings moved to the Congregational Church where a time capsule was opened and James cut a special 100th anniversary cake, with a knife made by Crittall’s for the wedding of a resident many years ago.

*A Torii gate can be an entrance to a burial place or a shrine. In Silver End, the Torii gate is the entrance to the shrine of Francis Henry Crittall and his wife Ellen.

Special Constables, are volunteer police officers. They have the same police powers, uniforms and equipment as regular police officers. But Special Constables volunteer their time to help people and communities across Essex.

Want to know more? Take a look at our Special Constabulary page.