STAFF and students thanked a special member of the community for 10 years of outstanding service as a governor of Runwell Community Primary School.

Headteacher Jeremy Crook, Pauline Landsdale, chairman of governors, and a handful of students delivered flowers to 85-year-old Eileen Mickelborough's home in Wickford.

The presentation was in recognition of her long service as a full governor, following her decision to wind down her workload and become an associate governor.

Eileen, who served as a magistrate and a county councillor for many years, said: "I'm now looking forward to relaxing a great deal and reading a paper all the way through."

Mrs Mickelborough described herself as more of an actress than a teacher and added she "doesn't like things to be too stuffy".

She moved to Wickford, from Harold Wood, 50 years ago after a convent school education, a good grounding in politics, two years of business studies at college and service in the Territorials during the war.

She worked as a journalist, an articled clerk and in hospital administration, then she changed direction and qualified as a teacher of speech and drama.

She taught privately and at St John's School, in Billericay, before becoming a county councillor representing Wickford, then Danbury and, later, South Woodham Ferrers. She also served as a magistrate on the Billericay Bench for 11 years.

From 1987 to 2001 she was a borough councillor for Rettendon and Runwell and has served on every committee within the county council, chairing many of them.

Her spare time was spent either working in theatres, or being an examiner for London University in Spoken English.

She will remain a governor at Ramsden Hall Special School.