MARGARET Smith is putting her feet up after almost three decades getting up at the crack of dawn to bake bread and sort newspapers.

Mrs Smith has been running the village shop in Bicester Road, Bucknell, for 27 years, but at the age of 72 has finally decided to retire.

On Saturday, about 20 villagers surprised her with flowers and bubbly before she shut up shop for the last time.

Sheila Wallington, who looked after the store when Mrs Smith was on holiday, said the village was woken up by the smell of fresh bread cooking.

She said: “It will be a huge loss to the village. We are desperately hoping someone else might buy it and run it as a shop.

“We used to be able to pop in if we ran out of eggs or milk – now we will have to get into the car and drive to a shop.”

Ms Wallington said the store was a big part of the village community and customers used to deliver newspapers to their elderly neighbours if they could not make it in.

The shop and Mrs Smith’s bungalow have gone on the market for £625,000.

Mrs Smith plans to move to Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, to be nearer her family.