A man who began his career in Wisbech has retired after 50 years in local government.

Terry Simpson walked through the door of the Town Hall in 1964 in his home town of Wisbech at the start of an illustrious career in local government and five decades later will officially retire as the Town Clerk of Ringwood in the New Forest.

Terry’s career nearly didn’t get off the ground when, at interview he was solemnly warned to get a haircut.

However, he got the job and, with hair suitably trimmed to town hall standards, became a junior legal assistant in Wisbech.

There were further jobs in the county and another post took him in Hertfordshire – each move bringing new challenges – until in 1974, the sweeping re-organisation of local government brought him to St. Ives, Cambridgeshire as assistant district secretary.

Moving into the 1980s he took up a prestigious post at Lyndhurst with New Forest District Council where, in 1991, he became head of administration and monitoring and returning officer.

Then, in 2000 and following more than three decades in local government, he took early retirement only to return shortly afterwards as Ringwood town clerk.

With retirement looming Terry looks forward, with wife Jenny, to visiting his elderly mother who still lives just outside Wisbech,