By Sue Read

WHO can remember when Sandie Blake was not usually the first person people saw when they went into the council offices on Market Street, Crediton?

Not any more. Sandie retired at the end of this year, a well-deserved change for her, a big loss for all those of us who have got so used to her knowing the answers to most of our questions about the council and its workings.

Sandie is the sort of person who is worth their weight in gold with a business, it is all at her fingertips. She started working for the district council right at the time of local government reorganisation when the Urban and Rural District Councils were swept away for town and district to take their place. In Crediton it was in the same buildings.

At first the name was Tiverton District Council covering the former RDC area, but not for long because of objections from the Crediton side, so Mid Devon came into being.

A Cornish girl, Sandie came to Crediton when she married David. That was in April 1974. She began work at the council office in May.

Born in Camelford, Sandie grew up there and became PA to the managing director of a knitwear firm before marriage and her move to Crediton.

To start with Sandie was working in Rosemont on Union Terrace, later an hotel, now flats but then the headquarters of Crediton RDC, later being the new district council base for the local environmental health offices, building control and planning.

Sandie used to work with Geoff Wykes, Den Heard, Ralph Pilley, Charlie Goodman, Denzil Tancock and Vic Balkwill among all the others.

Then in 1985 everyone moved to offices above the NatWest bank on the corner of Market Street and the High Street, moving a couple of years later to what had been the police station and magistrates’ court many years before to join the rest of the MDDC staff at Crediton at the bottom of Market Street.

Sandie had left the council not long before, so when someone went on holiday, Sandie was asked if she would do holiday cover for a week - and stayed on.

When Mid Devon District Council closed its Crediton office for good last year, Sandie was pleased to be able to be the “front face” for Crediton Town Council with her wonderful amount of knowledge.

There had been three front office girls for the district council. Now there is no contact point at Crediton for the district council at all because even the telephone connection to the Tiverton office was taken away two weeks before Christmas.

Sandie has seen so many changes and growth at Crediton, but the people are still the same. It is the people she says she will miss, as well as Clare and Emma in the town council office.

Sandie and David have two sons and because of them Sandie did a lot for the junior and senior football clubs, at one time being on the committee of both Crediton Youth FC and Crediton United AFC.

She enjoys crochet, making things for her six grandchildren. Sandie also used to look after the flower displays outside the office and was in charge of the decorations at Christmas.

Sandie was given a bouquet and a big box of chocolates by the Mayor of Crediton, Cllr Frank Letch with the Mayoress, Natalia Letch, with the assistant town clerk, Emma Anderson.

Cllr Letch said: “We all breathed a sigh of relief when Sandie decided to join our office after Mid Devon closed this one.

“She has been a fount of knowledge and her expertise has so often proved invaluable.”