A HAMPSHIRE couple who ran a village shop for 25 years were given a celebrity send-off - and enough money for a cruise.

TV presenter Esther Rantzen and her hus-band Desmond Wilcox staged a fun-filled This is Your Life-style tribute to Derrick and Vera Roberts.

Mr and Mrs Roberts have recently retired from the village store at Bramshaw in the New Forest.

Hundreds of well-wishers from Bramshaw and neighbouring villages turned out to watch Esther and Desmond host a review of the couple's life together.

The celebrity pair own a house in the area and often shop at the store.

Esther said: "The size of the audience here today is a reflection of how highly Derrick and Vera are regarded in the village."

Desmond was dressed as Father Christmas - a role he played at the shop after the regu-lar Santa was forced to drop out.

The Roberts's retirement party was held at Fountain Court, a large country house where Derrick Roberts's father, Ernest, was employed as a gardener.

Speakers recalled how Mr and Mrs Roberts staged a successful campaign for a 40mph speed limit in the Forest.

Bramshaw Parish Council chairman Jack Sturgess said: "Derrick and Vera have been absolutely wonderful to the village. We don't have a school and we don't have a pub - but we do have Derrick and Vera's shop."

The popular pair were presented with a framed photograph of themselves outside the store and a cheque to cover the cost of a luxury cruise.

Mr Roberts, 67, said he and his wife, 66, were "totally overcome" by the scale of the tribute and the generosity of fellow villagers.

"We didn't know anything about it," he said. We were simply told to be at Fountain Court at 3pm. I didn't know if I was going to be working in the kitchens or cutting the grass!"

The celebration was attended by the couple's sons, Bob, Philip and Derrick, and their daughter, Denise.

Mr and Mrs Roberts will continue to live in the house behind the shop. They urged villagers to continue supporting the store, now run by villagers Steve Quinnell and his partner, Alison Shore. "The shop has been there since 1775 and we don't want to lose it," said Mr Roberts.

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