RETIRED Sister Carol Jenkins has said farewell to 30 years of nursing after treating thousands of patients across the world, including Britain's royals.

Sister Jenkins treated seven-year-old Lady Helen Windsor when she fell off the swings at Bowood House and hurt her head.

The family's bodyguards wanted the casualty unit at Chippenham's St Andrew's Hospital, which is now the town's community hospital, cleared.

Sister Jenkins, 60, from West Yatton, who retired from Jubilee Fields Surgery, in Yatton Keynell, on Friday, said it was a busy Saturday and told the guards she had a bed free for the youngster, but refused to remove the other patients from the hospital.

"Its gone so quickly, I can't believe I have done more than 30 years," she said.

"If I had to guess I would have said 25, time never seemed to drag."

Doctor Fiona Gilroy, from Jubilee Fields Surgery, where Sister Jenkins has worked for the past seven years, said: "I have worked very closely with her and she has always been very supportive, caring and professional.

"Nothing is ever too much trouble for her.

"She is very popular and will be sorely missed by all our patients and the staff at the surgery."

Sister Jenkins, who is married to Tony, 59, and has three children Peter, 36, Mark, 28 and Mandy, 26, trained at Bristol's Frenchay Hospital in 1961. She then worked in Australia for four years, mainly in midwifery.

At Westinghouse Brakes and Signals she was one of four occupational nurses in the company's medical unit, which had it's own doctor and ambulance for the company's 6,000 workers.

She then went to St Andrew's and worked at New Road Surgery, which is now Marshfield Surgery.

On Friday staff at Jubilee surgery held a surprise farewell party for her, where she was presented with a number of gifts.

These included boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers.