A great-gran who ran a hardware shop with her husband for 46 years and was much loved for her friendly service and chat with customers, has died.

Margaret Saunders passed away at the age 83 just 18 months after a fall forced her to stop work and she was diagnosed with cancer.

Sandy's Hardware, the business in Lordswood she started with Terry, is now managed by their son Andy.

But until recently, the couple continued to play an active part behind the scenes – Terry runs a handyman service doing odd jobs and Margaret loved to catch up with what she called "life-long friends" at the shop in Kestrel Road.

After undergoing surgery, she spent time in both Maidstone and Pembroke Hospitals before being cared for by her family at the home the couple shared in Aylesford for more than 60 years.

Terry, known to many as Sandy, and Margaret, his wife of 64 years, have been through three recessions, had two sons and enjoyed a lot of laughter on the way.

Originally from south east London, the couple moved to Kent in 1960, two years after getting married, because house prices were cheaper.

When Terry lost his job at Strood engineering company Twin Discs, he ploughed his redundancy money into the shop.

He took on the £3,000 annual leasehold at what used to be an electrical shop in 1976 and despite the arrival of the big DIY chains and online shopping, it continued to flourish as a small independent business.

They chose the unit in a shopping parade on the Chatham housing state because at the time it was quiet and not too built-up.

Terry's experience in engineering put him in good stead to take on the DIY shop, turning his hand to house-to-house plumbing, light electrical and building jobs as a side line.

Andy, 59, their eldest son, started off working part-time on Saturdays and took on the role as manager in 1987.

Father and son strongly believed that offering "personal service" was key to their success coupled with Margaret's love of talking to people.

Terry said: "We draw people in because we can offer advice and Margaret was the ideal person to have in a shop.

"People would just come in for a chat with her and we have made so many friends over the years.

"With more turning to DIY – often for the first time – the shop was very busy during lockdown. We were also able to deliver to those who could not get out. And many have stayed loyal to local shops."

Right up until her fall a day after her 82nd birthday, Margaret was behind the counter and liked to walk her Cairn Terrier dog Tommy in the neighbourhood.

The childhood sweethearts first met at a community dance when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl and he was an apprentice engineer, aged 16.

In 2018, Margaret and Terry celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, even closing the shop for the day, something they only did on special occasions. Their letter from the Queen is proudly displayed in the garden room of their home in Orchard Avenue.

At the time, Margaret told KentOnline: "We mutually decided to get married a few years later. It wasn’t down on one knee or anything like that.

"But we did engrave our initials on to a tree in Avery Hill Park. It’s probably still there."

Their other son, Colin, 56, lives in Oxfordshire with his wife Amanda.

Margaret was born on June 6, 1939 in Welling, just a few months before the start of the Second World War, to parents Godfrey and Rose, known as Pop and Mid. Margaret was their second child, brother Don having been born five years earlier.

Despite having a mischievous streak as a young girl, she excelled at school and went on to study typing and shorthand at Townsend Road Technical College Bexleyheath. She had also learnt to play the violin, something in later life she would regret giving up.

At the age of 16 she started work as a secretary in New Bridge Street London. In 1958 she married Terry, who had also grown up in Welling, and after a one-year stay with her parents they moved to Aylesford on the outskirts of Maidstone where Margaret was to live for the rest of her life.

After a short spell working as a secretary in Maidstone she settled into life as a stay-at-home mum to her two sons – until Terry bought the shop that changed her lifestyle.

She died peacefully in the house she loved in Orchard Avenue on Monday, November 21.

In their tribute, the family wrote: "Margaret will be best remembered for her love of all sport – especially cricket – dogs and talking! She was interested in people, their lives and loved people who made her laugh.

"She will be much missed by all her family, especially Terry, her two sons, two daughter-in-laws Jacky and Amanda, and her beloved dog Teddy who was a present for her 80th birthday."

Her funeral is at noon on Thursday, December 15 at Medway Crematorium, Blue Bell Hill, followed by a wake at Edenwood Place, Kits Coty.

Donations can be made to The Dogs Trust. Please see Sandy's Hardware Facebook page to confirm attendance and other details.