Lillian marked her birthday like any other day – on her indoor market stall selling her popular animal doorstops and handbags.

However, her friends, fellow traders in Tavistock Pannier Market, were determined not to let this special occasion – her 85th birthday – pass unnoticed.

They made a special visit to her stall to present her with cards and presents.

Lilian’s special day on Thursday, July 9 began with soStephen surprising his mum by decorating her stand with a birthday banner and balloons, generating compliments from shoppers, on Thursday, July 9.

Lilian, a skilled seamstress, has been trading for about ten years, staring out selling her own handmade kitchen aprons before more recently branching out into selling other people’s creations.

She said: “It’s been a lovely surprise to have people saying nice things to me on my birthday. The stallholders are all wonderful people. I really like meeting people and having a chat. I like to think of my customers as friends. They keep coming back, so they must be happy.

“I’ll keep going in the market until I’m ready to stop. The other traders are a supportive community and keeping me going.”

Fellow trader Kay Gawman, who sells teddies and cushions in the pannier market, said: “Lillian is a great person and trader. She’s always smiling and happy through the ups and downs of trading in here.

“She is the nicest person in here, totally honest and always positive and friendly, which lifts us all when things are quiet. Lillian sells a good quality product and her clients come back again and again from all over.”

One of her two sons, Stephen, said: “My mum just won’t slow down, even at her age. But she thrives on it and is a great seller.”

Community-minded Lillian, who originally comes from Bradford, generously raised £2,000 from her stall to support the Plymouth Hospitals Charity during the covid pandemic. She moved from Bradford to Torpoint when her late husband was posted to the area with the Royal Navy and now lives in Plymouth.