A WOMAN who spent most of her life on the Isle of Wight celebrated an incredible milestone last week.

Peggy Clark, who was born in Wellington, South-East London on May 8, 1924, turned 100 years old on Wednesday.

After school, she took up a career in hairdressing, and when the war broke out, she became an auxiliary nurse, working at the hospital in St Hilliers, with additional duties at Bristol Hospital.

On May 8, 1945, Peggy turned 21, and to celebrate, she visited Buckingham Palace to see the audience of King George and Queen Elizabeth on the balcony.

She also witnessed the loss of the Crystal Palace exhibition hall, which was destroyed by fire.

A couple of years later, Peggy and a friend holidayed on the Isle of Wight, and it was on the Island where she met Norman Ayress.

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The two went on to marry in Wallington on December 26, 1951, and moved to the Isle of Wight, settling down in Binstead.

As well as raising their four children, Derek, Margaret, Denise and Helen, Peggy also supported her husband who, outside of his working role, spent 25 years as a Scout leader.

This was rewarded with a chief Scout recognition award on May 1, 1997 – an award Peggy proudly has framed.

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Norman died in 2008, after being wonderfully looked after at Mountbatten Hospice in Newport.

Peggy’s time on the Island came to an end in 2019 when she moved to Gosport to be closer to her immediate family, but she has visited a number of times since, and her love for our little rock remains.

Today, Peggy lives in a residential flat just round the corner from her daughter, Helen, and all her family are keen to thank her for being such a wonderful mother and grandmother.