A COUPLE from Melksham are preparing to say goodbye to friends and family as they swap their suburban life for the High Commission in Jamaica next month.

Paul and Linda Lane, of Birch Grove, Bowerhill, will say their fond farewells at a Caribbean-style party before jetting off to the sunshine-soaked island on official government business.

Mr Lane, 48, a Navy officer for 32 years, was chosen by the Foreign Office to serve as the head of registry, communications and security at the High Commission in Kingston.

They will be leaving behind their family home of 16 years for a smart official residence in Bob Marley's homeland on October 16.

Mr Lane, who served on HMS Invincible during the Balkans crisis, has completed 18 months of training courses at the Foreign Office headquarters in Whitehall, London.

Mrs Lane, 48, said she has no last-minute regrets about swapping Melksham for Jamaica.

She said: "We are a bit nervous about leaving everyone but we have got to the stage of life when its time to do something together. It is a kind of mid-life crisis.

"We will be living in the grounds of the High Commission. We could have gone to Washington, Paris or elsewhere in Europe but we were given Jamaica.

"On the list we had to put down some not so glamourous locations like Kabul in Afghanistan but we were lucky."

The couple have invited 150 guests to a Caribbean party in Bowerhill on October 5.