Yorkshire's oldest volunteer finally retires - aged 100

For the past 21 years Edna Bates, of Hunmanby, has volunteered at the Saint Catherine’s hospice shop in the village.

Mrs Bates, who with her late husband, Bob, ran shops in the Leeds area, says the secret to a long and happy life is to carry on working.

She said: “Well it’s not about whiskey or anything like that! It’s down to good old-fashioned working – just don’t stop.

"Keep working and your mind will always stay active.”

Mrs Bates, who was a steward at the Methodist chapel in the village for 25 years, only retiring at the age of 98, was born in a tiny Welsh village called Marcross in 1920.

She was one of seven children, all of whom have died except for her younger brother, who is 96.

God-daughter Elizabeth Paley said up until two or three years ago Edna would go on walks two-and-a-half miles across fields and stiles to Filey and back, adding: “Edna remains in remarkable health for a woman of her age.

"She has difficulty hearing and suffers from arthritis, but never lets anything get her down for long.

"She goes to chapel every week, the hairdresser’s every week. Up until a few years ago she wouldn’t tell anyone how old she was – she didn’t want people to think she was an old lady.

"Now she is quite proud of the fact.”

Birthday celebrations will be held at home and Mrs Bates has asked for donations to Saint Catherine’s in lieu of gifts.

Edna married her husband on April 26, 1943 at St Bartholomew’s Church in Armley, Leeds, and was married to him for 51 years.

In WW2 Bob was in the Royal Corps of Signals and drove 10-tonne trucks, serving in Africa, then later in Sicily.

Edna joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which later merged into the Women's Royal Army Corps, first serving as a height finder with the Royal Artillery, a job which involved working out an aircraft's altitude to direct anti-aircraft guns.

Edna served with the Heavy Anti-Aircraft (or ‘Ak Ak’) Battery next and when it was disbanded she went to Edinburgh - on her own - to learn telephony.

She ended up being posted first to South Queensbury as a telephonist, then Golders Green as a clerk, Cardiff and finally Hereford to be discharged when the war in Europe ended.

She is a life member of the Women’s Royal Artillery Association.

Bob was still abroad and Edna was living with Bob’s parents. She got a job driving trams in Leeds and occasionally did the Elland Road run when football was on - which was lucky as she is a Leeds United FC supporter!

Edna and Bob eventually took over Bob’s parents’ greengrocers’ shop in Armley in 1952 and stayed there for 16 years, in the days when cheese and butter were still sold by the slab and wrapped in paper.

Edna and Bob ran other shops in the Leeds area and retired in 1985 to Hunmanby.

He died in 1994 and rests in God’s Acre, Hunmanby. Edna has raised hundreds of pounds over the years for its upkeep by holding coffee mornings and raffles.