A RETIRING teacher bowed out in style as she left the school hall on the back of a Harley-Davidson.
Staff at Harelaw School, near Stanley, sprang the surprise on Joan Bell at an assembly to mark her retirement yesterday.
Deputy headteacher Maggie Collins said: "We found out a couple of weeks ago that Joan had a full motorcycle licence.
"We wanted to give her something to remember and make a bit of a spectacle for the children, so this seemed ideal."
Mrs Bell, who had worked at the school for more than 12 years, was whisked away by a biker Santa Claus, alias Jimmy Rimmer, from Ace Motorcyce Hire, in Durham.
She left to the sounds of Steppenwolf's rock classic, Born to be Wild. "It was a complete surprise but very lovely," said Mrs Bell.
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