WANDA Jay, who retired from teaching at St Margaret's Junior School, Rainham, at the end of last term after 39 years, returned on Monday for a special occasion.

She was there to unveil a 'tree seat' installed in her honour by the school's parent teacher association. The seat, fitted with a suitably inscribed plaque, completely surrounds one of the trees in the school grounds.

It's just one of the surprises organised for Mrs Jay, who was chosen as a Kent Messenger Teacher of the Year.

Tomorrow she will be enjoying a buck's fizz brunch aboard the Orient Express, something she has always wanted to do. And last term she was given a helicopter ride across Kent and an opportunity to get a bird's eye view of her house in Chatham.

Mrs Jay joined the school when it was housed in an old flint building at the top of Station Road, Rainham.

"In those days there were only about 180 children, but we had 46 in one class," she said. "Moving to the new premises in Orchard Street was the biggest milestone since I first joined.

"What has given me the greatest thrill, is teaching children of pupils who were here in my early days at the school. I can sometimes see the family resemblance in their faces."

Mrs Jay continues to run her Brownie unit, St Augustine's, at Gillingham, with which she has been involved for 38 years.