THE staff of one of Swindon's most famous stores are holding a reunion in November.

Normans Carpets closed in January this year after more than 55 years of trading.

At the time managing director John Hopkins said the closure was because many of his employees were retiring and their experience was irreplaceable.

The firm's furniture store, which was based in the Brunel Plaza, closed in 1995.

Fromer staff have all been invited to the gathering at the Liden Community Centre.

Administrator Karen Lieghfield, 45, from Cheney Manor, helping to organise the event, said: "I spent 13 years at Normans.

"Two of us were planning a get together and then a lady I work with, Diane Everett, said she and her friend Marion Wiseman were planning a similar event, so we all decided to work on it together.

"I have worked in a lot of places but nowhere quite like that, it had a very friendly atmosphere where everybody looked out for each other."

Normans was originally based in Cromwell Street and boasted seven linked shops selling kitchens, furniture, fabrics and baby-care items.

The building was purchased by the council to make way for the Brunel Centre, where Normans went on to have a furniture store and the Fleet Street carpet store.

Marion Wiseman, 45, a company secretary from Lawn who worked at Normans in the Brunel Centre for 14 years, said she was hoping 100 to 150 former staff would attend.

She said: "Everyone enjoyed working there. It was a family atmosphere.

The Fleet Street site has been bought by Regent Inns and is expected to become an Australian theme pub.

To confirm your attendance at the reunion, which starts at 7pm on November 15 in the Liden Community Centre, Barrington Close, call Karen on 01793 610901 or Marion on 01793 537545.