Newport: Betty Pritchard works on after 57 years in pharmacy

After 57 years working at the same pharmacy, 89-year-old Betty Pritchard has no plans to retire.

She has been at Watkin-Davies in Bettws, Newport, since 1965 and said it's a pleasure to show up each day.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said six million economically inactive adults - excluding students - was a "shocking waste of talent".

The Welsh government said it works to boost over-50s employment to help firms and give a "more inclusive workforce".

Mr Hunt encouraged people to consider returning to the work force, saying: "Britain needs you".

Mrs Pritchard, who lives in Bassaleg, Newport, takes two buses to work and back each day.

She joined the business aged 33, with 13 years' previous experience.

The pharmacy was run by Mr Davies, and later taken over by his son Christopher. "I don't think Chris was born when I started," she said.

Originating in a smaller unit nearby, the pharmacy moved premises in the early 1970s. Mrs Pritchard recalled the excitement of flying to Scotland to pick fittings.

Neighbours have come and gone, but some businesses - including a barber's and a fish shop - remain.

She has seen the pharmacy trade change considerably.

"When I first started work, you could buy poppy heads - opium," she said.

"It was make-your-own medicine. Then everything became pre-packed. It's so different," she said.

Mrs Pritchard remembered Mr Davies mixing white liniment treatments, used on match days by Welsh rugby players Jeff Squire, whose wife was a pharmacist there, and Bobby Windsor, who lived nearby.

She was the full-time manageress until the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I couldn't work then, because of my age, so I was put on a shelf for a while. I found it very hard. I enjoy gardening and we had good weather, so that helped."

Now a part-time employee, she is joined by other long-serving staff members, including her own daughter-in-law.

"It's a very family-oriented shop. People come in with their grandchildren, and I knew them when they were babies. All the community knows Betty from the chemist. It's really nice."

She turns 90 in April, but has no plans to retire, "if they want me".

"I'd have to find something else to do [if I left]," she said.

"I had a hip operation and I was off for 12 weeks, supposedly, but I came over in a taxi on my crutches.

"I have seen so many people retire and fall apart. I will know when I want to give up. You know in yourself when you've had enough."

John Evans, 66, has been a pub owner for 50 years and landlord of the Black Boy Inn in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, for 20 years.

He worked for his grandfather and father in pubs and hotels from the age of 11.

He has stories "coming out of his ears", including feeding nearly an entire village during the heavy snow of 1982.

Asked whether he has considered retiring, he said: "The way the economy is going at the moment, we'll keep it going for quite a while. My view is that if you keep working, it keeps the mind active and in this industry it keeps the body active too.

"When you retire, unless you have a large group of friends, it can be lonely. The pub is an important part of the community.

"People 50-plus are staying on because they remember the times when people had multiple jobs. Society is turning to 'What can the government give me', rather than what can we contribute."

Kayleigh Jones of Prime Cymru - a charity founded by the King specialising in supporting people aged 50 and over into work - said: "We hear more and more from clients that they feel their age is a barrier to work.

"They feel they aren't considered, are pre-judged."

She is pleased that there has been more focus on changing this attitude, particularly as a result of the cost of living crisis.

"A lot of that age group left the workforce and now want to go back to work," she said.

"People are struggling. They need that income, whereas they might have been able to retire earlier in the past.

"We have noticed that a lot of what we have been doing all along is becoming more prominent. We have always been shouting about it, but we have not always been heard.

"It's encouraging to hear people within the government being aware of these issues and encouraging people, because if they are facing discrimination they may not have the confidence.

"Age definitely shouldn't be a barrier to work. It helps you stay mentally stimulated, involved in the community, and better-off financially."

A Welsh government spokesperson added: "Supporting older workers to stay in work offers employers a rich source of talent and provides a catalyst for a more inclusive workplace overall.

"That's why we fund a range of initiatives to support older people to do just that - from programmes to help them retrain and develop new skills, to support with overcoming poor health."