A midwidfe who has delivered more than 100 children in the last seven years welcomed many of them back to celebrate her retirement.

Jo Watson, 53, from North Rode, has been a midwife for almost 30 years, but became an independent midwife in 2006, specifically helping mums who had previously been through traumatic births.

She held a farewell party at Dreamcatcher Farm in Bosley, six weeks after supervising her final birth.

The mum-of-two said: “It was fantastic to see them all.

“It was amazing to see all the children running around and the mums smiling and happy.

“When I was last with them a lot of them were in quite a dark place. They came to me after having a traumatic birth, so it’s nice to see how happy they are.

“It was a really nice reminder of the journey we have been on.”

Jo, who left the NHS to work as an independent midwife, said: “The nice thing about independent midwives is that you stay with the same one throughout the whole pregnancy.

“It’s especially important for mums who have had a tough time with their first child and are scared about going though it again to have the continuity.”

Jo is retiring as a result of government changes which means all independent midwives need private insurance, adding another £2,000 to the bill for each baby.

She is now planning a round-the-world trip with husband Mark, and children, Chris, 22, and Ellen, 13.

She said: “Independent midwifery is really important because women need to have an alternative and a choice. These new rules mean that they don’t.

“I’m not retiring completely, it’s just the end of another chapter.”