Helen, you were such a wonderful colleague to work with. We will all miss you dearly. You always brought a sense of calm wisdom to our work. It was always a joy to speak to you. You always showed so much care for everyone, whatever team they worked in or whatever grade they were. Your dedication to the Brownies was admirable, always making the time for it on weekends, during busy times and even when life threw many challenges at you. Your love and care for your mum and dad and for Tim was so visible whenever you spoke about them. Such a loss for your friends and family, and for this world. Rest in peace, Helen….

Helen, I was deeply saddened to hear of your passing. The last time I saw you, we had a lovely catch-up and you proudly shared photos of yourself, your niece and your mother. I remember jokingly asking whether you had all coordinated your outfits on purpose, as you all looked so beautiful together, colours complimenting each other. It is such a small moment, but one that I now cherish more than I ever expected. Your radiant smile, honesty, kindness and natural ability to bring people together will be greatly missed by so many. The warmth you brought to those around you will not be forgotten. Rest well Helen. My thoughts and prayers are with Tim and all your family as they navigate this profound loss. You wil be deeply missed ❤️…

I first met Helen in April 2025 It was clear straight away how popular and well-respected she was by the volume of people who would stop by her desk delighted to see her as if she was some blend of visiting dignitary and long-lost friend. A DWP institution. Despite me being her manager’s manager it was never clear to me who was managing who. My check-ins with her were turned into finding out how I was doing. And in team meetings Helen would listen intently only to share one sentence of insight that would make everyone pause for thought. And so it continued!   Helen was always the one looking out for others, sensing if people needed extra support and giving advice regardless of grade or team. She really was the unseen glue – calm, diligent, caring. I loved how she always had a useful uplifting or thoughtful phrase to share at the end of meetings. It didn’t matter if it came from Brownies – it still worked! She truly was one of life’s givers. We regrettably shared common ground when it came to responsibility for caring for parents and spoke about this and her grief when her dad…

Helen, you were such a light. I’m really going to miss our office tête-à-têtes, your cheeky wit, and your incredible warmth. Sometimes you could say it all with just a look, and I’d be chuckling to myself about it long afterwards. I always loved hearing about everything going on at Willow Tree, and I’m so grateful that you encouraged me to sign Quinn up to Rainbows. You were right, it really did bring her out of her shell. The Rainbows doll you gave and the letter you wrote to her meant so much to us. We have kept them both and will treasure them always. Thank you for your kindness, your friendship, and the positive impact you had on so many lives, including ours. You will be greatly missed. Xx  …

Helen, My Gemini buddy, one of the best teammates and friends I could have hoped for. You had so much knowledge, so much kindness, and always brought laughter wherever you went. You had a way of making people feel comfortable and supported. You were always generous with your time, advice and encouragement. Whether it was talking through work, sharing life wisdom, or just having a chat, you always made people feel heard and valued. I will miss talking about life around Westminster and how we always made time for a special Christmas treat together. I will miss you telling me to stop faffing about, our ice lolly exchanges to survive the heatwaves, and untangling spreadsheets together.  Thank you for the random stationery gifts, the books you lent me, and all the chats we shared about life, work and everything in between, especially your love of Tim’s Aperol Spritz and all things italian.  I admired you so much. Your dedication to your family, your brownies, your work and the people around you was incredible. You gave so much of yourself to others and made such a positive difference to so many people’s lives. The care you showed people, the support…

You were such a funny, kind and genuinely wonderful person. I will always remember the little one-liners you would drop into conversations, usually without realising how funny you were! You were so welcoming and approachable, and always incredibly generous with your knowledge, time and kindness. I will always appreciate the regular check ins to see how I was doing, asking about my holidays and what I had planned, and it always meant so much because you genuinely cared.  I loved hearing your stories about your husband and your mum, and hearing whatever you were getting up to at the weekend. We would always laugh about how our exciting weekend plans somehow seemed to revolve around chores! Those conversations and laughs are memories I will always treasure.  You are going to be missed by so many people. I hope you knew just how loved, valued and appreciated you were. It was a privilege to have known and worked with you, and I feel very lucky to have shared those little moments with you.    You left a mark on so many people, and you will be remembered with so much love. Thank you for being a wonderful colleague, person and…

Helen, you were such a wonderful person, intelligent, witty, kind, caring and always ready with a cheeky comment at just the right moment. You always made time to listen, offer guidance and somehow make things feel that little bit better. I will really miss our chats, especialy sitting next to you at our away days, waiting for the inevitable cheeky comment and elbow nudge that would have me trying not to laugh! I loved hearing about your holiday plans and your stories about your dad, and what you were getting up to with your mum and Tim. Those everyday conversations now feel incredibly precious.  Your patience and resilience were remarkable. Even when things were difficult and you were feeling down, you somehow found the strength to pick yourself back up with your familiar “onwards and upwards”, usually followed by something cheeky to make me smile. You have left such a void, both at home and at work, but also so many happy memories for those of us lucky enough to have known you.  I will miss you dearly, Helen. Thank you for the chats, the laughter, the advice, the elbow nudges and, most of all, for simply being you….