A PERSON who has offered re-assurance to Lochgelly people going to the doctors for decades is retiring this week.

Mary Greig has been the receptionist at Lochgelly Health Centre since its inception over 20 years ago but before that was the face that provided people with re-assurance who were going to see GPs in the town.

Mary recalled this week that after spending time as a lab technician in Kirkcaldy and then working at Rosyth Dockyard, she became a receptionist at Dr Langridge's practice in Main Street at the age of 21 and worked with the the two Dr Khans, but as things changed and the move took place to create a Health Centre in the town with all the GPs under one roof, Mary was very much involved.

She recalled: "Initially things were based in Melgund Place clinic and after the building was condemned we had some portable buildings as a home but then we moved into the David Street Health Centre and that was the start of what we have today."

Mary said that over the past four decades she has seen different generations of families come to the various surgeries she has worked in and also the arrival of technology has made a real impact.

The Lochgelly woman added: "Over the past 10 years the whole way of recording things has changed remarkably.

"Before, everything was recorded on paper but now it is all done electronically, quite a difference. The days of the big paper files having to be kept up to date have changed."

Mary has always been someone who really has been the main face of the Health Centre and in 2006 she received the David Adams Award from NHS Fife given to an individual making an outstanding contribution to a medical practice.

Dr Kenneth Thompson has been part of the Health Centre's team for more than 14 years and he said that Mary will be missed.

He said: "Mary has been the face of the Centre for patients and is the person they are happy to see when they come in for an appointment.

"There is no doubt that she will be missed from her role as receptionist and also for her lovely personality."

What is Mary planning to do in her retiral: "My husband Roy and myself are keen walkers and that is something we hope to do more of."

But she will not be away from the Health Centre totally, she will still be on the patients' list!