WHEN Dorothy Bury started work with Darwen Council back in 1971, people were just getting used to a new currency of pounds and pence, and the council was its own boss.

Thirty-one years later, she has retired after seeing enough local government reorganisation to last a lifetime.

Dorothy, of Sunnyhurst, said a fond farewell to Darwen Town Hall and her colleagues yesterday as she left her role as senior information officer for well-earned retirement.

"There have been lots of changes and you hope that most of them have been for the best," she reflected.

"It has changed significantly three times from start to finish, with more people employed and the different views of the council over the years.

"It has totally changed really since I started. It was very small here when I began, with not many people. The biggest change was when we became a unitary authority with Blackburn in 1974. It changed everything."

Despite the changes, she claims she was never stumped by enquiries from the public.

"If I didn't know the answer, then I would know someone who did.

"Being there so long meant I did know a lot about the council. I would always be able to give them an answer in the end."

Her first act in retirement will be to take off her watch and not worry about the time, after years of working full time.

She started out in the legal section of Darwen Council in 1971 before moving to the main switchboard in 1974.

She then moved to the Blackburn switchboard in 1976, before returning to Darwen Town Hall in 1995, where she stayed until this week.

A widow with one daughter and two grandchildren, she has several projects for retirement, one of which will be to try to recruit her collie dog Shep as the first "pat dog" for Darwen.

Her last day was marked with a send-off at the Millstone, Darwen, when council chief executive Phil Watson made a presentation.