AFTER 36 years, looking after 81 babies, a husband and wife foster care team said it has never been a chore to do their work.

Maurice, 67, and Barbara Hobbs-Hurrell, 65, of Connaught Gardens, Shoebury, have just been made MBEs for their services to families.

Speaking about the shock of receiving the honour, Barbara said: “I never expected to be rewarded for my work in this way. It has always just been something I have enjoyed doing.

“Because I love having babies and looking after them, it does not seem like a chore at all.

“I didn’t know until the letter came through from the Cabinet Office a few weeks ago. When I opened it I was really shocked.”

It was not such a surprise to her husband as he had helped with his wife’s nomination.

Maurice said: “Our friend Monica was the person who wanted to nominate Barbara for all her work over the years. I had actually been helping her out with the details of the children who have been here.

“Then she got a call from the Cabinet Office, which suggested I should get an honour for the help I provided.”

The MBE nomination for Maurice almost didn’t happen as his wife thought some friends were playing a prank.

Maurice explained: “The Cabinet Office contacted Monica about giving me a nomination as well, but when they rang her she thought it was a friend playing a joke and she told them to go away.

“It was only when they rang back she suddenly realised it was a serious call.”

The couple, who have two children of their own, John, 41, and Karyn, 38, decided to become carers after meeting another foster family.

In 1975, the first baby came through their doors, Amanda-Jane. The couple have never looked back since and still keep in touch with some of the children.

Some of the babies are just a few days old when they arrive with the couple. On one occasion, they had to care for a child who was only four hours old.

The babies have either been taken away from their parents by social services or given up by their birth parents.

Once with them, they stay at the home for a few months, before they are either returned to their natural parents or adopted. The longest a child has stayed with them is two years.

Barbara said: “We keep in touch with a lot of them and take photos of every single one of the babies and send Christmas cards out to about 30 of them.

“Some have even come and found us, including the second person we fostered. We had another come to us with his girlfriend a few years ago, as he was trying to find his birth family.

“I think a lot of them feel we are a stepping stone to finding out about where they came from.”

Maurice added: “For each child, we keep a storybook which has pictures of them and information about us should they ever want to trace back here.”

Barbara said it is difficult not to become attached to the babies.

She said: “You do find yourself becoming protective of the children, because you do become their mum.

“I have got upset on a couple of occasions, when they have been handed over to their new home.

“Today, the handover period is a lot longer than when we started, so you can find out they’re going to a nice family.”

The couple have recently decided to wind down their foster care duties and retire, but they said they had no official date for when they will stop.

Barbara encourages anyone considering fostering to become a carer.

She said: “It is so rewarding being a foster carer.

“You get to see the babies progress, especially if they keep in touch after they have moved on.”

Maurice said even though they will soon stop providing the care, they will still be involved with the fostering community.

He added: “We have a lot of friends in the system.

“I am sure Barbara and myself will still go along to events organised for the foster carers, because they are our friends and we’ll want to keep in touch.”