Pharmacy manager Betty Pritchard is calling time on her career after clocking up an incredible 59 years of service at Watkin-Davies Pharmacy in Bettws, Newport.
Retiring at the age of 91, Ms Pritchard’s career has spanned over seven decades, having spent 13 years at another pharmacy before joining Watkin-Davies.
Related Article: Anticoagulant Inhixa recalled due to typo
The vast majority of her 59 years at the pharmacy were spent working full-time, commuting by bus every day. She only reduced her hours to two days a week following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commenting on her career, Ms Pritchard said: ‘I love to work. I love to be in charge, and over the years, I’ve got on well with the staff. I’m in touch with people I worked with 30 years ago.’
She also remarked on the changes seen during her time at the pharmacy, recalling: ‘We used to prescribe poppy heads for toothache!’
Related Article: Interview: Pharmacy First saves time, prevents escalation, and frees up capacity
A day-long celebration was held at Watkin-Davies to mark Ms Pritchard’s retirement, with colleagues and customers providing gifts of cakes, flowers and champagne.
‘I’m really lucky,’ she said. ’The customers are amazing, and so are the staff.
Related Article: New GPhC chief standards officer appointed
‘The local community is very loyal and grateful. I’ve made lots of friends, and it’s just a lovely place to work,’ she added.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which oversees the pharmacy, described Ms Pritchard as a pharmacy ‘icon’ and said her departure marked the ‘end of an era at Watkin-Davies Pharmacy, where she will be greatly missed by colleagues and customers alike’.
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.