WELL-KNOWN Tavistock caterer Ann Alford will be hanging up her ice-cream scoop for the last time this month, as she retires after 24 years of serving snacks in the Meadows.
From bacon baps and cheesy chips to ice-creams and cups of tea, Ann has been tempting her customers' tastebuds since 1969 — and has got to know a staggering amount of regulars to the park during that time.
'I've made an awful lot of friends — children have grown up and have children of their own now,' said Ann, who is 53.
'Their first words are "You're not still here are you?"'
Whether it's teenagers taking a break from the skate ramp, tennis players desperate for a cool drink or families out for the afternoon, Ann sees them all — many of the regulars being on first-name terms.
And her customers are not just from the Tavistock area — many people come from Plymouth to enjoy the Meadows and visit Ann's café.
'The pensioners like it here, we get groups of disabled people too, who can't go inside to cafés,' said Ann.
She said it would be strange to retire and sad in some ways, after working seven days a week throughout the summer.
'I've been thinking about it for a couple of years, but the time is right now,' she said. 'It's going to be nice to have my weekends and bank holidays at home for a while.'