A popular children's book character, whose inspiration came from a trip to Beachy Head, is retiring after a quarter of a century.

Mr Grinling the lighthouse keeper and his family, together with their cat Hamish and three mischievous seagulls, have entertained children for 25 years.

However, after a lifetime protecting the coastline, Mr Grinling is about to settle into retirement, bidding farewell to his lighthouse in the eighth and final book in the series, The Lighthouse Keeper's Christmas, which will be published next month.

David and Ronda Armitage, who live at East Hoathly near Hailsham, have been writing and illustrating the books together since The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch was published in 1977.

The series, based on the Beachy Head lighthouse off Seven Sisters near Eastbourne, has sold millions.

Ronda, who is the writer of the couple, said the inspiration for the first book came while on a walk with their two children, Joss and Kate.

She said: "I find lighthouses endlessly fascinating. They hold a special significance for me and David, as we both grew up on the coast in New Zealand.

"However, when the kids were little we realised they had never seen a lighthouse so we took them to Beachy Head."

Their son Joss, who was four, saw an electric cable running to the lighthouse and asked what it was.

David said: "Off the top of my head I told him it was for sending the lighthouse keeper his lunch.

"We didn't think anything of it, and the comment could have been lost, but a friend who was with us, who knew I drew and that Ronda had been involved in publishing in New Zealand, said it was a great idea for a story."

That walk on Beachy Head led to The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch and the start of a successful partnership.

David and Ronda, who were born a day apart in 1943, met on the boat going from their native New Zealand to England, and married soon afterwards in London in 1966.

After travelling, they settled in Auckland, where their children were born.

However, in 1974 they returned to England, setting up home first in Barnes, in London, and then in Sussex, where they have been ever since.

David said: "We work together 90 per cent of the time. We are a good team."

They have mixed feelings about bidding farewell to their most famous creation.

Ronda said: "We have loved doing the books but I think eight is enough.

"I thought The Lighthouse Keeper's Tea was going to be the last but the idea of a Christmas one made sense. It gives the lighthouse keeper a chance to say farewell."

However, she said Mr Grinling will not really be going away.

"The books are used a lot in schools. We have seen classrooms where a lighthouse has been put up in a corner, or a pulley has been strung across the room for the basket, with Hamish poking out.

"It's wonderful to see the books brought to life."

Far from hanging up their pens, they are both looking forward to new projects.

As well as being a book illustrator, David is an artist and his abstract oil paintings take up more and more of his time.

He said: "It's taken years to get to this stage but I have had a lot of exhibitions now and it is going really well."

Ronda has been working on her own non-fiction books and is a qualified counsellor.

They also have ideas for more children's books.