A Seascale nurse who delayed her retirement to help fight Covid in the community has finally retired after 26 years.

Nurse Annette Marie Barker, from Seascale and Bootle Surgeries, had hoped to retire 14 months ago, but could see that more help was needed as the nation plunged into its first pandemic in more than 100 years.

Annette had a chance to look back at Friday’s retirement do.

She said: “I was going to retire then the Covid thing blew up, so I stopped on to help take the strain, plus cover some maternity leave. So, I have done an extra 14 months.

“When I started in 1995, most of the medication was in bottles and we had to count them out of the bottle and handwrite the labels with all the instructions.

“We worked alone a lot and with the increasing workload, so the dispensary clerks were employed at both surgeries.

“I had to work in the cold with the air-conditioning on most days.

"The dispensers at Seascale can now leave their cardigans off.

“I am sad to be leaving, but feel I have given my all to the NHS, which I joined back in May 1981, after my training at Bury general, then went back to Bolton, to be a district nurse, then onto Bootle and Seascale health centres.

“I have been given some great opportunities over my 26 years, such as senior dispenser, data input clerk, practice nurse, and hypertension nurse.

“I will miss the surgery and the staff; and I just want to thank everyone for my time and support over the last 26 years."

Staff past and present came to visit at a Covid-safe distance as Annette hung up her uniform for the last time.