Hospital radiographer retires after 66 years

Jan Cottingham trained as a radiographer in 1958

An NHS hospital radiographer has retired after 66 years in the job.

Jan Cottingham, who will be 87 on 24 October, spent her last shift taking x-rays of patients at Caterham Dene Hospital on Saturday.

Mrs Cottingham, who comes from Godstone, qualified from London Hospital in 1958.

She said she feels "blessed to have had a really good career and hopefully to have made a difference".

The job has taken her around the world, including working for a number of years in Australia and New Zealand.

She had been working part-time for the last few years.

Mrs Cottingham said: "My husband died 10 years ago and, as I enjoy my job, it was something to do.

"It's good for my brain. It keeps me active."

She added that her grandfather was an eminent eye surgeon.

"Perhaps the idea of working for the NHS came from him," she said.

"I'd always been interested in science at school and physics in particular."

Jan married her husband Peter in 1966

Her career had given her "a lot of satisfaction over the years" she said, and "good contact with people".

Mrs Cottingham spent around half her career working in the NHS and the other half in the private sector.

She said: "The NHS is a very different place from what is was when I started 66 years ago.

"The expectation of the public is so much higher than it was in the early days."

Mrs Cottingham said she intends to "keep going as long as I can" after retirement.

She said: "I play bridge twice a week and walk my dog."

Amanda Gill, her daughter, said: "She's an incredible lady who has spent a long career helping people.

"She has so much knowledge and experience."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.