FORMER district nurse and midwife Annie Kear has retired after 53 years in the National Health Service.

Mrs Kear met her Forester husband Deg while training at the Hospital of St Cross in Rugby and they returned to Coleford in 1966 and says she has had a 'wonderful' career in this area.

She was a ward sister at Gloucester Royal Hospital and later at Monmouth and the Dilke hospitals before retraining as a district nurse and midwife in 1970.

Mrs Kear, of Edge End, said: "I worked at the Dilke as a staff nurse and then trained as a midwife.

"When you were a district nurse in the Forest you had to be a midwife as well because it was a rural area.

"It's been absolutely wonderful working in the Forest and I've got lots of memories."

In the late 1990s Mrs Kear went into temporary retirement but returned to work at Coleford surgeries as a phlebotomist taking blood samples.

But Mrs Kear said she was also fearful of the future of the NHS because of changes being made to the organisation.

She said: "I've always loved working in the NHS but I'm very sad to see what's happening to it.

"I don't think people realise the way its going, it's happening very rapidly and that we're going to lose it."

Mrs Kear, who has five grandchildren, said: "I'm grateful I had the chance to train as a State Registered Nurse and I've enjoyed serving people.

"I will miss the people but I've got a husband that needs me and a family that needs me."

She was joined by friends and family for a celebration at the Berry Hill Social Club on Friday.