RENATE Roberts, who has just retired after 26 years as Devizes' own district nurse, is heading off on a sentimental journey to Africa next month to visit her first marital home with her husband Ray.

Mrs Roberts, 62, was showered with good wishes at a farewell party at Southgate House, the temporary headquarters of the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust, yesterday.

Born in Tenby, on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, Mrs Roberts first came to Wiltshire as a nanny to a family living at Great Chalfield, near Melksham.

She gained her State Registered Nurse qualification at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1963 before heading off to Dar-es-Salaam, in what is now Tanzania, with her new husband Ray, who was teaching there.

The couple's two sons, Martin and Malcolm, were both born in Africa but the family returned to England in 1971 when Mr Roberts started work as a geography teacher at Devizes School and Mrs Roberts as a staff nurse at St James' Hospital, the Devizes' geriatric hospital which closed in the early 1990s.

She then became district nurse for the Lavington area and worked for Southbroom Surgery for a while before becoming district nurse in Devizes. The couple, who live in Orchard Close, Devizes, are active members of Devizes Lions Club and Mr Roberts is a prime mover in the Devizes/Tornio Twinning Association, visiting the Finnish town at least once each year.

Mr Roberts said: "They have given her a wonderful send-off. She has gone out on a high, still enjoying her job after 40 years in the NHS."

They will shortly leave for Tanzania, where they will be joined by Martin, a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy, and Malcolm, a nurse in Melbourne, Australia.

Mr Roberts and his sons plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, to raise money for Wessex MS Therapy Unit. Anyone wishing to sponsor him can contact him on (01380) 722706.