WENDY Dowbiggin has picked up her pen and become the Herald's Bentham correspondent - 20 years after her family last submitted reports for the North Craven market town.

Wendy, of Pinewood, first became our lady in Bentham in the early Sixties. She handed over the job to her father, then her mother and the family fulfilled the role until her mum's death in 1984.

The post was then taken over by Jane Preston and later Peter McCabe, who resigned recently.

Not wanting to see the position left vacant, Wendy responded to our appeal for a new correspondent.

Now she is covering everything from coffee mornings to clubs and lots in between.

Wendy, who spent her entire working life as a secretary at Angus Fire Armour, is well known in the community.

A former town councillor for 12 years, she was mayor of Bentham in 1999.

Now she is the chairman of governors at High Bentham Primary School and is on the committee of Bentham Development Trust and the town's Abbeyfield Society. She is also involved with High Bentham WI, is on Bentham Golf Club's social committee and delivers the Bentham News each month.

"My main interest is the school. I help out in one of the classes on a regular basis," said Wendy, who also helps out at the Nosebag caf.

She is now looking forward to developing her role as the Herald's correspondent, covering the town she loves.

She said: "Bentham is a growing place and that is the good thing about it.

"It is a very buoyant place. We don't have any empty shops and there's more people around all the time.