DEDICATED teacher Liz Eley retired at the end of term to spend more time with her husband who is battling against leukaemia.

For the last 26 years Mrs Eley has been helping pupils with special needs and teaching English at Kingdown School, Warminster, but decided it was time to lay down her textbooks.

Her husband, John, 63, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia eight years ago, and has just finished a second course of chemotherapy to help control the disease.

Mrs Eley, 60, said: "The first lot of chemotherapy kept it in remission for six years but he needed another lot recently because the cancer level had risen.

"When he is in remission we pretend that it doesn't exist and we're now looking forward to spending more time together."

Doctors first noticed there was a problem when they discovered a lump in Mr Eley's neck. With the help of regular checks, they hope to keep the illness at bay.

Away from the bustle of school life, Mrs Eley is planning to spend more time working with her husband on their 20-acre smallholding near their home in Frome.

Before joining Kingdown School, Mrs Eley worked for the Rank Organisation in London, where among other things she helped publicise the Beatles when they first started out, turning down a party with the 'Fab Four' to go on a date with John.

Before joining Kingdown in 1977, Mrs Eley started an opportunity playgroup for children in Frome and taught gypsies. She said: "I didn't think I was going to stop for long. I started with a group of smashing kids and thought I would just see them through, but another group came along and before I knew it 20 years had passed."

Over the years Mrs Eley was singled out for her work with special needs pupils and for introducing new initiatives.

Her long list of achievements include starting up the school's annual sponsored walk and recording a record with some of her students.

Apart from a few gripes with government changes to teaching methods, Mrs Eley has enjoyed her school life. She said: "There has been a different challenge every year. I have enjoyed giving children, who are not necessarily good at exams, a sense of value, making the best use of the skills they have."

On Wednesday, staff organised a retirement party for the joint longest serving teacher at the school.

Headteacher Sheelagh Brown said: "She has had a long and distinguished career in education and was an absolutely wonderful, caring teacher. It is a sad loss to Kingdown and education."