Ref. 12360/2LONG serving school dinner lady Lin Bessant was given a celebrity send-off on her last day at Upavon School.

Among those saying goodbye were Willy Wonka and Harry Potter and numerous other book characters.

Mrs Bessant's final day last Friday coincided with the children and staff dressing as their favourite book characters to mark the end of a fortnight's sponsored reading to raise money for new books.

Headteacher Beverley Martin was dressed as the Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe and all the other staff were book characters too.

Mrs Bessant has worked as a midday supervisory assistant, latterly the senior supervisor, for 23 years.

Mrs Martin said: "Mrs Bessant has been here a very long time and we are all going to miss her."

Among gifts presented to the popular dinner lady was a glass paper weight to join the collection she keeps at her home near the school.

Mrs Bessant suffers from arthritis and said she has found the daily playground duties, particularly in the colder months of the year, getting more onerous.

She said: "We are out in the playground in all weathers unless it's hammering down with rain.

"If the children do not get their outing in the playground and get rid of some of their stored up energy then the teachers know about it all afternoon."

Mrs Bessant formerly worked as an assistant in the school kitchen before becoming a supervisory assistant.