GENERATIONS of jewellers gathered for a glittering celebration of the past.Croydon's Jewellers was known throughout Ipswich for its proud history in the town.

GENERATIONS of jewellers gathered for a glittering celebration of the past.

Croydons Jewellers was known throughout Ipswich for its proud history in the town.

Founded in the late 19th century, it was the store's proud boast to have provided wedding rings for generation after generation of Ipswich families.

And while the Croydons reunion may not have included too many store workers from the 1880s, many of the generations since were well represented.

Organisers Dorinda Suttle and Jill Betts relied on word-of-mouth to spread – and it reached as far as West Yorkshire by the time places were booked.

Mrs Suttle said: "We're very, very pleased. It's been a tremendous response.

"We got it all done in about four months, so we weren't sure how it was all going to turn out.

"It all got off to a bit of a slow start, but as usual with these things it all happened at the last minute.

"A lot of people worked at Croydons for a number of years, which probably helped when we were organising the reunion."

Croydons held pride of place in Tavern Street for decades, before the original company were forced to call in the receivers.

Preston's Jewellers bought the company in 1994, but the proud name remained – until just a few weeks ago.

While you can still buy your wedding rings in Tavern Street, they will now come from Preston & Duckworth.

Charles Croydon provided a memory of the good old days at last night's get together in Copdock. And he was joined by 90 other former employees.

Guests were entertained by music to suit every era – Patchy Matt's Disco playing everything from waltzes to modern-day music.

Other entertainment was provided by a charity raffle, including prizes donated by Ipswich Town.

Despite all her hard work organising the event, Mrs Suttle said: "I do enjoy doing things like this."