Elspeth Wright received a fantastic send off from her friends and colleagues at NHS Lanarkshire after bringing almost 41 years service with the NHS to a close.
And making the occasion even more memorable was the fact her parents David, 84, and Lillias, 85, were able to share in the celebrations.
Elspeth, from Airdrie, who was retiring from her position as planning and development manager at NHS Lanarkshire’s headquarters in Beckford Street, said: “I’m very privileged to have had my parents there on my first day of my career and on the last.
“I always wanted to be a nurse and had my first nurse’s uniform when I was three-and-a-half.
“Although I performed a variety of different roles in different positions within the NHS, the priority was always ensuring we were providing the best care we could to our patients.
“I’m overwhelmed by the good wishes from people and the gifts and I’d like to thank everyone I worked with.
“It’s a happy day but also a sad one. I’m lucky to have enjoyed my career and I’ll miss all my colleagues and friends.
“However, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my husband Jack who has also recently retired.”
Elspeth previous roles, between NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, included: registered general nurse; district nurse midwife; health visitor; clinical nursing officer; unit human resources manager; support services manager; assistant general manager; locality general manager; and planning and development manager.
Robert Peat, head of planning, said: “Elspeth has been a great colleague and she’ll be greatly missed.
“Although she’ll be looking forward to her retirement, I can’t imagine she’ll be living the quiet life.
“She is heavily involved in local community issues in and around Airdrie, chairs the local community council, likes going out for lunch and dinner with Jack and loves taking breaks throughout Scotland.”
Elspeth’s mum Lillias, from Airdrie, added: “It’s great to be able to celebrate Elspeth’s retirement. I never dreamed I’d see the day all those years ago when we watched her begin her nursing career and it’s a very proud day for us.”