Exbourne resident Kathlyn Neno has raised over £1,000 for the Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF) and British Heart Foundation after she asked friends and family to donate to them for her 100th birthday.

Mrs Neno, who celebrated her milestone birthday in July, asked her party guests to donate to ELF as part of the celebrations in memory of her daughter who passed away from the disease. Having received a pacemaker several years ago, Mrs Neno also asked for donations to the British Heart Foundation to help others with heart problems.

Her son-in-law Trevor Cross made the announcement last week, adding: ‘We’re so pleased with the result and I’m just very grateful to everyone who donated and made Kathlyn’s birthday a day to remember.’

A truely local girl, Mrs Neno was born on an Exbourne farm, where she still lives, and grew up working hard, especially during the Second World War when she helped her parents tend the land.

But she grew up fast following her mother’s death as she stepped into her mother’s shoes and supported her father and two younger siblings.

Friends and family have described her as ‘remarkable,’ ‘fantastic,’ ‘a really special lady’ and an avid gardener.

Mrs Neno’s friend Marcia said: ‘If you need a friend, she’ll be there. She’s like my surrogate mum.’

ELF was established in 1980 and supports blood cancer patients and those with other blood disorders who attend the haematology department at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital.

The British Heart Foundation funds research into heart and circulatory disorders including heart disease, strokes, vascular dementia and diabetes.