MARY Daniel may have seen Age Concern Oxfordshire expand to a £2m organisation in her time, but it is the little things that she looks back on with most satisfaction.

Mrs Daniel, 63, retired yesterday as chief executive of the charity after 12 years, but she ranks things like setting up a service for pensioners to get their toenails clipped as the major achievements in her career.

Speaking at a farewell party at the charity’s Abingdon office, in West St Helen Street, Mrs Daniel said: “I became chief executive in 1997. Since then there has been a huge change in this organisation.

“We have gone from being quite a small organisation with less than £100,000 turnover a year and 12 staff, to a turnover of £2m and 120 staff.

“There are something like 115,000 older people in Oxfordshire and they need all sorts of things, from just wanting to know something about holidays to getting help with benefits.

“In the last seven years, staff at Age Concern Oxfordshire have brought £22m of state benefits to older people who otherwise would not have known about them.”

She added: “The biggest challenge I have faced has been the continual struggle to bring in enough money to pay for services that we need.”

Reflecting on her time as chief executive, she said: “There have been so many memorable campaigns during my time here, but I suppose there are two that stick out: getting recognition of the needs of older people in rural areas, and our basic toenail-clipping services.”

Mrs Daniel, who has recently moved to Hampshire from her home in Duxford, west Oxfordshire, will use her retirement to spend more time with her seven grandchildren and learn to play the piano again.

“I’m just going to miss the wonderful people, the staff and volunteers,” she said. “There are 500 volunteers in Age Concern around the county and I will miss them terribly, they are the most fantastic people.

“I moved from Cheshire to take the job as chief executive, and I’ve found Oxfordshire to be just the most beautiful place, with a beautiful city.”

She added: “I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved and I really think that we have made life better for older people in Oxfordshire.

“It hasn’t just been me, it has been the staff and the volunteers, and I have been very fortunate to be the figurehead.”

The county’s new chief executive will be Paul Cann, from Hook Norton.

He has previously worked as director of policy for Help the Aged.

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk