A HEREFORDSHIRE woman who has played a part in community life for more than 75 years, celebrated her 100th Birthday on May 9.

Mother's Union, Women's Institute, drama groups, church activities and teaching at local schools have all featured strongly in the life of centenarian, Sybil Parker.

A member of the WI until she was 98, Mrs Parker also helped with fund-raising to rebuild Bodenham parish hall as well as a being a member of the parish council and a school governor into her 90s.

At the age of 90, Mrs Parker, of Ashfield House, Leominster, was organising outings and holidays at the leisure club for her 'old people'.

She was born in Lyonshall in 1903 to Charles and Elizabeth Mathews who had lived at Pembridge, Kington, Tarrington, Leominster and Wigmore where Charles was a policeman.

Every house move was achieved by hand cart and a horse drawn wagon and Mrs Parker still remembers pushing the cart to the police house in Burgess Street, Leominster.

Mrs Parker went to Leominster Grammar School and attended Hereford's teacher training college from 1921 to 1923. She recalls how she would walk to Leominster Grammar School from wherever she was living at the time with two hot baked potatoes in her pockets as 'hand warmers' which would later double up as lunch.

After brief spell of two years teaching at Stourbridge, Mrs Parker returned to Hereford to teach at St Peters School where she stayed until she married Robin Parker in 1935.

The couple went on to have four children, who in turn had 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Daughter Ann Hatfield said: "The party went well and later six cousins, who are all in their 80s, came up from Wales."