FOR more than 40 years Noel and Beryl Parry lived in Lapford, for much of that time their work was there too.

Noel was headmaster at the village primary school, Beryl was Pastor of the Congregational Church. Both had been married and lost their partners.

Beryl had been friends with Noel and his first wife who died in 1999. He courted Beryl and they were married in the Congregational Church in 2001 with a congregation that included Noel’s three sons and eight grandchildren. There are now two great grandchildren as well.

For various reasons they have moved to Tiverton and earlier this month a great tea party was held in the Victory Hall at Lapford in celebration of their time in the village.

Noel had moved to Lapford in 1975, taking over at the primary school from Bill Collins. “When I first came here all four teachers lived in the village, Mr Collins took me around the school. They lived in the School House, where we lived for a time before moving across the road to where we have lived ever since,” said Noel.

“There was no hall at the school, that was something we had wanted for a long time but we did get the double doors from Bow Primary School.”

His memory is prodigious, times when it snowed and throwing a bucket of water over the playground to make an ice rink and a slide out of the snow. No health and safety then.

He remembered Daphne Caldwell had written a play, Noel was the Welsh Dragon. “We had Rebecca Brag on two planks on top of a table on the stage as the Sleeping Beauty.

“The play developed and developed with our last one being ‘Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’.

“The school had a playing field but it was not much used. I came here in April and we began playing football there and had bonfires on the field too,” said Noel.

He became involved in the football club because of Bill and Jean Phillips and, with a number of other people, revived the Revel which is still going.

Noel used to sing with the late Les Howard in the pantomimes, Noel is a Welshman. He was also involved in the Short Mat Bowls, the Horticultural Society, supporting many village organisations and has been a member of the Congregational Church for more than 40 years. He retired from the school in 1991.

He had arrived at Lapford after teaching in Cheltenham, Torrington and then two years as head at Parkham near Bideford.

Beryl became Pastor of Lapford, Crediton and Sandford Congregational Churches, retiring after she and Noel were married.

People in the village contributed to the tea and the couple were presented with a Trachelospermum Jasminoides, a flowering climbing plant plus a good support frame.

At the party Noel thanked everyone, told them his new address, adding how Lapford would always be home.