‘Stoic’ Hayfield centenarian celebrates 100 years – thanks to ‘good genes’ and diet

However Catherine Swainson told how her ‘kind and practical’ mother Dorothy Bleackley’s long life was also a result of ‘good genes’.

Catherine described how the former retailer’s mother and siblings have all reached their nineties but she added: “She’s always been self-sufficient and taken care with her diet.”

Dorothy, who was raised in Hayfield, celebrated her big day at New Mills’ Goyt Valley House care home ‘covid-style’ due to social distancing restrictions.

During the Second World War the centenarian - one of seven siblings - was manager of the Little Hayfield and Swallow House Lane Co-operative branches.

Dorothy met her husband Frank through his uncle - Harry Bleackley - who was general manager of the Co-op and who also lived in Hayfield.

They married in February 1946 and moved to Whitefield, Manchester, - where at the end of that year their only child Catherine was born.

Dorothy returned to the High Peak in the 1970s - buying a house in Birch Vale.

She served as a member of the Parochial Church Council, on the choir and as chairman of the entertainments committee at St Matthew’s Church for many years - baking ‘hundreds’ of scones for fundraising events and Cancer Research.

Describing her mum Catherine said: “She has lots of hidden strengths but can also be stubborn on occasion.

“Mum has a great sense of humour and is still very much on top of her affairs even though I look after them for her.”

Hailing Dorothy’s tough, ‘stoic’ attitude Catherine told how in 2018, aged 97, she spent six weeks in Manchester Royal Infirmary after suffering multiple injuries due to a fall and ‘not once did she complain even though she was in a lot of pain’.

Catherine said her ‘stylish’ mum - who ‘still takes a great interest in her clothes and what she wears’ and ‘always looked much younger than she is’- moved into Goyt Valley House in 2018 following her fall.

She said: “Now at 100 she lives happily in the care of the wonderful care home staff.”