BECKY Jones may soon be swapping the lively pace of her job as Salisbury's city centre manager for the even faster world of hot hatch vehicles.

For Mrs Jones, who steps down from the job on February 10, shares with her husband an enthusiasm for the vehicles and will have more time for the pastime following her decision to take a career break.

She also hopes to find more time for horse riding, another of her hobbies.

In 2001 Mrs Jones was appointed to the role, which seeks to promote the city as a vibrant shopping and tourism centre.

It is funded by the Salisbury city centre management partnership, which comprises Salisbury district council, large and small businesses and organisations involved with shopping and tourism.

Mrs Jones (32), who lives in Warminster, said she had had a great time working with businesses and the local authority.

"They have been amazingly supportive of me," she said.

She is particularly pleased to have seen the membership of the partnership rise from 17 to more than 65.

"I have been meeting businesses, finding out their needs and tailoring the partnership to meet those needs," she said.

"And I have been monitoring how well the city is performing and feeding that information back to retailers."

Mrs Jones has also been involved with the Pub Watch scheme, raising funds for the city's new Christmas lights and organising the Fire and Ice Festival for the St George's Day celebrations.

Andrew Hodder, president of Salisbury & District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said members would greatly miss Mrs Jones, who had been a "much valued member of the chamber council".

"For her detailed knowledge of shopping patterns she is without rival," he said.

"She spent a lot of time collecting statistics and seeking to organise special events for Salisbury in challenging circumstances.

"Salisbury really cannot afford to lose people of Becky's calibre."

Chief executive of Salisbury district council Richard Sheard said Mrs Jones had done "a fine job and it was a shame she was leaving".

"She has achieved a significant increase in the number of private partners that are in the partnership and her ability to establish trends as to how well the city is doing is something of which she should be particularly proud," he said.

"It has been a pleasure working with her and we wish her all the best for the future."