THERE were tears and laughter as tributes were paid to a departing charity chief at a surprise party thrown in her honour.

Volunteers and service users flocked to say a fond farewell to Gillian Peel on her last day as chief executive of Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington.

Ms Peel recently announced her departure from the role after almost ten years of service.

Ms Peel’s party saw invitees including Darlington’s mayor enjoy an afternoon tea, emotive speeches and a performance by the Age UK ukulele band.

The band played ‘Ain’t She Sweet’ as Ms Peel waltzed around the room with 97-year-old poet Bill Blewitt, who has composed several odes in her honour.

He said: “Gillian is brilliant, she has been great ever since I started coming here and has always gone out of her way to help everyone here.”

Lynn Walton, from Age UK, helped to organise the party and said: “We really wanted to show Gillian how great she is and how much people appreciate her.

“She has made so many changes during her time here and introduced a lot of excellent projects which have been of great benefit to people’s lives.

“Gillian has always got the job done but in between, managed to encourage us to have fun, with dressing up days and partying – we’re going to do our best to carry on her legacy.”

After being presented with a portrait of herself by one of the Age UK service users, Ms Peel gave a tearful speech as she thanked volunteers and staff, saying: “It feels really emotional to be leaving and I will miss everybody, I love them all.

“It is really the people here who make Age UK what it is, I’ve been very lucky to be the figurehead but it is the team and those who come here who are the lifeblood of it all.”

She added: “I hope my legacy will be that everything for older people in Darlington and North Yorkshire is made way more positive.

“Older people are too often portrayed and seen as a burden on society and really, they are a benefit to it.

“Everywhere you look, there’s doom and gloom about them and a lot of negative press but when you walk through the doors of Age UK, you can see how they enhance the community.”