Harry Potter film-maker to produce documentary on life of Yorkshire pensioner whose husband and sons have predeceased her

But Olive Robinson is ‘a hell of a character’ and celebrated her 89th birthday in style in October by jetting off in a glider to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the North York Moors National Park.

It was her first ever flight, and something she had been keen to cross off her bucket list, which also features a wing walk and a tandem parachute jump.

Roger Dale and his wife Joan, who care for Mrs Robinson at her home in the village of Leeming, think doctors may be reluctant to sign her off for either of these adrenaline-fuelled activities, especially while she is being treated for cancer of the lymph nodes in her neck.

But while she pushes for another adventure, Mrs Robinson is also working on a project with film-maker Peter Lovell that aims to bring some of the most fascinating stories from her past to the small screen in a documentary.

A cast of actors and children from the village have been recreating memorable events from her life, such as the nights when she would run to the top of the hills in her childhood home of Hawnby and watch Spitfire pilots chase German bombers during the Second World War, the day when she met her late husband John and the time they built a bungalow with homemade bricks.

The documentary, which is called Olive and is due to be released after Christmas, also covers the loss of her husband and the death of her two sons. The aim is to make DVDs to be sold in charity shops to raise money for Macmillan after her youngest son Louis died of cancer at the age of 55 two years ago and middle son Allan, 66, died in June from myeloma. Her third and eldest son Robin survives.

Mr Lovell is also hoping to get it shown on television.

“She’s a hell of a character. I’ve spent six months with her now filming and I love her to bits,” said Mr Lovell, who has previously worked on a number of high-budget productions, such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

“But it’s very emotional. I was in tears myself in the editing suite.

“The saddest thing is when we go to the church and she’s laying down flowers for Louis and John, because they’re buried side by side.”

Mr Dale said he is working with Mrs Robinson on other fundraising ideas, such as launching a calendar featuring a range of stills from the documentary in 2023, but also making time to enjoy her stories.

“There’s so many things that she comes up with, I’m almost surprised every day,” said Mr Dale.

“There’s always something new, something we hadn’t expected or something we hadn’t heard.

“She’s a little bit hard of hearing but still very sharp.”