HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a woman who fostered 200 children, after she lost a battle with a rare disorder which sees the immune system attack nerves. Ellen Player, 82, from Basildon touched the lives of so many youngsters and was made an MBE by the Queen in 2006. She lost her battle with Dementia and Guillain-Barre Syndrome after fighting Covid-19 and died on December 23. Paula Stevens, 54, of Basildon, who was one of her adopted children, paid tributes to a wonderful woman. She said: “She was a beautiful woman and was so kind and lovely. “She was compassionate and caring and was a devoted Christian and used to say she wished she had bigger arms to care for more children.