This site is a tribute to Wendy Smith. She is much loved and will always be remembered.

Wendy was born in Gosport, although she was Bistle through and through.  Staying with “Auntie Saker” after her mother had been  evacuated during the war

The war had ended and her father returned from the Merchant Navy, they then resettled back in Brislington.  Wendy’s sister, Lynda, was born shortly after the war ended.  Wendy trained as a window dresser for Richard Shops.

Wendy met Derek on his first day at his new job in Bristol on the 25th May 1976.  Derek had been working in a Bernie-style restaurant come nightclub but was asked to go and help run a nightclub in Brislington while the manager was on Sabbatical.  Derek remembers meeting this beautiful woman who was dressed to kill.  They stayed in the bar drinking whisky all night with Derek buying all of the drinks as she had no money, and that trend would never change.

They enjoyed their time as friends until one day this changed and they moved in together, living over a post office.  Derek’s rent of £10 per week was saved by Wendy until they used it to go to Corfu for their first holiday together.

In 1977 Derek’s Mum, Dad, Sister Helen and her husband John decided to purchase the Meadowfields Hotel in Paignton, but after a year they decided it was not big enough, and Wendy and Derek were asked to join in a bigger hotel.  They purchased Hotel de La Mer in Babbacombe.  After 3 years of hard work, they were asked by Wendy’s mum if they would like to purchase a hotel with her and ironically, they ended up buying the Meadowfields.  They worked hard restoring the hotel, and in 1983 Derek finally asked Wendy to marry him.

In 1989 they decided it was time to move on, and they purchased the Marine Hotel on Paignton Seafront.  With hard work and Wendy’s eye for design, they renovated the 28-room coaching hotel until in 2002 buying the hotel next door and extending it to a 54-room hotel.  With the team of people they now had around them, it meant that they could finally take more time for themselves.

Gradually they retired, and in 2009 they purchased The Finishing Post. After 3 years of remodelling the house, they ended up with their forever home.  They were so lucky to have 12 glorious years there to enjoy the beautiful views and theri two dogs Zu-Lah and Zelda.