MAGISTRATE Florence Green is stepping down after 24 years and can finally leave the worries of court cases behind her.

Mrs Green has recalled how she was always told not to take the problems of the proceedings home with her - but in recent years has found cases more distressing.

She is concerned over the rise in drug-related cases and says courts sit much longer hours than when she first became a JP. Looking back, she says: "I shall miss it. Its been a part of my life. I can't believe 24 years had passed so quickly."

Mrs Green who lives with husband, Wilfred, in Nelson, will still find much to occupy her time. A governor at St John's CE School, Nelson, she supports the RSPCA and Dr Barnardo charities and enjoys fell walking.

Born in Burnley, she was a counter clerk and telegraphist at Burnley head post office, where she met her husband, and for nearly 40 years the couple ran Stoneyholme sub-post office.

She has been involved in race relations for 35 years and has taught English to Asian women in their own homes. She has also been a governor of several Burnley schools.

A highlight of her public service was when she was invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party as a race relations representative for the North of England.

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