A stretch limo escorted Swindon dentist Bruce Mayhew to a Hunger-ford restaurant to celebrate 40 years of practice.

Dr Mayhew, 63, has been treating people in Swindon at his Covingham Square practice for 29 years and says he has no thoughts of retiring because he loves the job so much.

"I never wanted to be anything other than a dentist since I was two-and-a-half, when I first went into a dentist's," he said.

"The idea of working with your hands and on the human body is absolutely wonderful.

"It is a terrific job, with enormous satisfaction.

"People come in to see me and want something done with their teeth and I do it, which is very satisfying in itself.

"Added to that, people are very grateful, which is wonderful, and if that isn't enough I get paid as well."

Dr Mayhew qualified as a dentist at Guy's Hospital, London, on Nov-ember 10, 1960, and first practised in Newbury, before moving to Swin-don more than 30 years ago.

He had a dental practice built in Covingham Square 29 years ago and has worked there ever since.

The practice serves 2,500 private adult patients and 1,000 children on the NHS.

Practice consultant Judith King said: "I have been here for 25 years and the fact that I'm still here is a tribute to how good it is."

As well as being the post graduate tutor at Princess Margaret Hos-pital, Dr Mayhew is also the Pres- ident of the International College of Dentists for the UK.

Last Friday, the 40th anniversary of Dr Mayhew qualifying, his staff arranged for the limo to take him to The Plume in Hungerford, where he was treated to dinner and presented with a glass bowl and an amusing poem about him.

"It was a lovely thing for them to do," he said.