IT would be an unenviable task to find anybody who has served a school and its community as loyally as Lynne Marshall has done.

The 59-year-old, of Bewdley, has retired as head of Kidderminster's St Ambrose RC Junior School after 26 years of teaching.

During the final three years of that time as St Ambrose headmistress, the school has seen large and successful changes under her influence.

These include organising the building of a new science and technology department and the integration of the parish playgroup to the school.

Arguably her biggest achievement was guiding the school through the 1997 amalgamation of the junior and infant departments.

Previously she taught for 23 years at Kidderminster's Holy Trinity School, and it was just before this that she met her Roman Catholic husband, Chris. She became a convert in 1971.

Despite the wealth of work done for the school by Mrs Marshall, she would not have been there had it not been for the persistence of the parish priest of St Ambrose Church, Father Douglas Lamb. He asked her to become acting head in 1996, but following the 1997 amalgamation she decided to stay and see the job through.

Mrs Marshall said: ''This all became very important to me because I got so involved with the situation. I got the children involved with the church and the parish and I could see that there were advantages for both parties.

''Father Lamb has been really good to me and he is very persistent.''

Her just rewards came she received a special papal blessing from the Pope's English representative at a ceremonial mass at the church last month.

She said: ''It was a fabulous evening as so many people I knew were there. I was presented with a painting of Bewdley riverside."

Mrs Marshall, born in Wyre Piddle, near Pershore, said: ''Family will always be the most important thing to me and my retirement allows time to visit them.

''We are going to the Caribbean in November and hopefully there will be more opportunities to visit other parts of the world.''

She has three children and her fourth grandchild soon. Mrs Marshall's interests include gardening, cooking, golf, reading and spending time in Bewdley, where Mr Marshall owns the Woodlands Holiday Home Park.

She cites her biggest achievement as: ''Seeing children who through encouragement and confidence building, have actually achieved something in their careers. I have found tremendous happiness in teaching.''