STAFF at Devonshire Road Hospital, Blackpool, bid a sad farewell to one of their most respected colleagues on September 24.

Specialist dermatology nurse Wendy Dowling, 53, took early retirement and jetted off to sunny Spain.

When Wendy was appointed by the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Community Health Trust in November 1995 she was the only specialist dermatology nurse in the North of England.

Now the dermatology unit at Devonshire Road Hospital, which opened six months after her appointment, consists of a 10-bed inpatient ward, outpatient department, two consultants, three doctors, a team of highly qualified nurses and the reputation of being a major centre of excellence in the North West.

Wendy said: "I never anticipated four years ago just how the work would snowball. If there were three of me it would still not be enough.

"It has been a lot of hard work but, all in all, well worth it.

"Now I'm looking forward to my new life in the Costa Blanca. It will be sad to go because I'll be leaving my friends and colleagues - but I won't miss the weather."

Philip Scully, chief executive of the community health trust, said: "Her contribution in the creation of one of the most outstanding dermatology units in the country has been outstanding.

"She has transformed the lives of many local people and will be sadly missed."

But it's not just the staff who will be sad to see Wendy go. Patients have also been paying tribute to her work.

Sharon Sykes, whose seven-year-old daughter Darcy has eczema, said: "I don't know what I would have done without her. She gave us the moral and medical support we needed."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.