MAYORESS Evelyne Smith leads the good life - in more ways than one.

When she is not taking care of civic business on the circuit as the town's first lady, and attending council and school governors' meetings, self-sufficient Evelyne can be found tending animals and plants at her Tyldesley home.

Married to Mayor Bill for 14 years, green-fingered Evelyne loves working in the couple's half-acre garden - home to numerous goats, hens, ducks and geese.

And the house too has been taken over. The window ledges are full of starter plants awaiting transplant into the huge veg and fruit garden.

Bill said: "Evelyne is just like the seventies TV hit series 'The Good Life'. She spends most of her spare time in the garden. It's her great joy, but it takes up a lot of time. I don't have much to do with it now. "She is a great believer in fresh food, and is a fantastic cook too. It's good to eat home-grown; there's no fast food here."

Hard working community worker Evelyne, who won her Hindsford council seat last year, said: "I think I inherited my self-sufficiency from my father.

"Sometimes we sit down and all the food on the table, except the meat, is our own.

"I grow everything from blackcurrants to asparagus and sweet corn, and we have enough onions to last all year.

"I make my own jam and cheese, and freeze the goats' milk.

"With being so busy I have had some help with the garden from a smashing neighbour."

Evelyne also finds time to teach craft classes at her local community centre.

She even brews her own wine!

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