Family, friends and colleagues gathered to pay a fond farewell to John McLean, technical services manager, who retired from NHS Lanarkshire after a remarkable 42 years’ service.

John, who was attached to the Property and Support Services Division (PSSD) at Law House, joined NHS Lanarkshire in 1974 when he was appointed as assistant hospital engineer at Stonehouse Hospital.

In 1983 John moved to the rank of senior engineer at Hartwood Hospital, a post he held until 1997. John thereafter took up the role of technical services officer before being promoted to technical services manager in 2005, a post in which he remained until his retirement.

John is married to Margaret and has two step-sons and five grandchildren.

In his spare time, John is a keen cyclist and has recently bought a new mountain bike which will give him great enjoyment in his retirement.

Harry Campbell, head of technical services, said: “John is a long standing and valued member of the technical services team working for the health service for over 42 years. Over the years John has provided an excellent service in various roles throughout the organization, ranging from assistant engineer to technical services manager.

“John’s breadth and depth of knowledge means he has provided support and guidance to all throughout his career and will be sorely missed by all.”