A WARRINGTON Hospital seamstress has celebrated 50 years of tailoring the uniforms of NHS nurses.

Maureen Cook celebrated the incredible milestone last week having first began work for the health service at Winwick Hospital on September 19 1966.

The 67-year-old sewing room supervisor has been altering all uniforms for nursing, therapy, catering and domestic staff issued at Warrington Hospital since she began working at the Lovely Lane site in 1989.

She said: “It has been lovely – there have been lots of changes over the years but I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t love it.

“It’s a hobby as well as work really – I get a lot of satisfaction from a job well done.

“There have been lots of lovely times – I’ve loved meeting loads of lovely people and making loads of lovely friends.”

Maureen trained to be a tailoress in her native Wigan before commencing employment as a workroom assistant at Winwick Hospital when she lived in the village.

She spent 16 years at the site before moving to Newchurch Hospital in Culcheth in 1982, where she worked for seven years.

In 2008, Maureen began working part-time for Warrington Hospital having took flexi working retirement.

Her hobbies include flower arranging, volunteering at her St Thomas’ Church in Ashton-in-Makerfield and spending time with her four-year-old grandson James.

She has been happily married to husband Lesley for 47 years, while her daughter Rebecca Lowe now works for the trust in their cardiology department.

Maureen’s colleagues organised a party to mark the 50-year milestone, with her manager Marcia Anthony describing her as a ‘dedicated and conscientious member of the team who is lovely to work with’.

A spokesman for Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to congratulate Maureen on her achievement and thank her for her tremendous, dedicated work for the NHS over her 50-year career.”