Burnham & Dengie Nub News aims to be supportive to EVERY element of the community from business and shops to people and charities and clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and wants life to get back to normal.

We will be profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in our UP CLOSE IN MALDON DISTRICT features in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for your full return to life and business as usual.

Today we feature an interview with Burnham Ferry operator Mark Philips, a former marine unit policeman who has found another job he loves in his retirement.

When former marine unit policeman Mark Philips sat enjoying a drink on the marina at Wallasea Island a few years back with his son Daniel, he watched the Burnham ferry and pointed out what a nice retirement job it would make for someone.

"I didn't think at the time I said it that it could be me," laughs Mark, "but I've loved boats and the water since I first learned about them as a cub scout in Old Leigh!"

And so it was that when an opportunity arose to buy the boat and the operation from the two Burnham-on-Crouch brothers who previously owned it, Mark, now 57, and his wife Michelle, 52, decided to take it on.

That was back in 2017 and since then, the couple have made the ferry service their own, taking good care to maintain the ferry boat – the current one was built in 2007 – and renaming her 'Haylau' (pronounced Halo) after two of their grandchildren, Hayden and Lauren. Since then, the number of grandchildren has tripled.

Operating the ferry is a full-time job as it runs every day of the week except Wednesdays from 9am to 5pm, from the start of April through to the end of September. The hours mean there aren't many commuters, but at weekends and through holiday periods, many walkers, cyclists and parents with children making the crossing from Essex Marina on Wallasea to the Town Quay at Burnham-on-Crouch and later on back again. And, of course, the summer months are always the very best.

"In the summer months, there are lots of parents and children who come over for the crabbing," Mark says, "they sit along the long jetty at Burnham and it's the perfect spot. It's a lovely sight when the boat comes back in to see them all there."

"We also get day trippers and walkers who come over to see Burnham and cyclists who take the ferry just one way and cycle the other through Battlesbridge."

So do they ever get people who just want to take the boat for the ride?

"I get a lot of people who ask me if I do river trips," Mark says, "and I tell them I don't but they're quite welcome to take the ride, which a lot of them do. Often it's parents with kids and it's lovely to see the children's faces when they enjoy it. For some of them it's the first time they've been on a boat."

The boat can take up to 12 passengers and rather than run on a timetable, Mark responds to demand and he can be called when on the other side of the trip to come back as soon as possible and pick passengers up – for this the number to call is 07704 060482.

For some special events, such as during the Burnham-on-Crouch Carnival weekend, the ferry operates late into the evening to take passengers across to the funfair and back.

It's plain to see that Mark and Michelle, who live in Old Leigh, love operating the ferry and are an industrious couple.

They have a sweet shop in Lincolnshire and Michelle is a chocolatier who sells her products online, which has been a boost during the pandemic as Mark found he wasn't entitled to grant help – despite not being allowed to operate in the lockdown months. Last year, it was June before the ferry could run again.

This year Mark is hoping for better times and believes that Covid has brought new community appreciation of independent shops and businesses.

"I think the independent businesses will do well now," he says, "because people have discovered their local towns and places nearby again. There's a great community here and it's a lovely place to work and something I really enjoy, too."

The ferry trip from one side to the other takes between 10 to 15 minutes and costs £4 per adult and £2 per child. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

You can find out more about the ferry service on the Facebook page at the link here or at the website here.

You can find Michelle's chocolate business LoveLeigh Sweets and Chocolates at the link here