Most retired people are happy to take life easy but not Mabel Crocker, as Wilf Lower reports.

Lively, sharp-minded and with seemingly endless energy, the Wigmore resident grows plants and creates craft products which she sells for charity.

She is also an active member of four local senior citizen groups, organising raffles and other activities encouraging people to get involved and enjoy life.

Today, Mabel celebrates her 100th birthday.

The then Mabel Barrett was born in Frindsbury, although the family later moved to Gillingham where she attended Arden Street School.

She was an active child, enjoying roller-skating at Rochester’s Casino, ice-skating, horse riding, and dancing in pantomime at Chatham Empire.

Leaving school at 15, Mabel joined WH Smith’s in Rochester as a sales assistant for half-a crown (12¹/₂p) a week – doubled to five shillings (25p) when they realised her capabilities.

Enjoying work and a busy social life, her future seemed bright, but with war declared in 1939, she was conscripted to seaplane manufacturer Shorts to become an engineering inspector.

Despite the conflict, social life continued with Mabel organising activities around the church where she met army engineer Percy Crocker.

They married at St Lukes Church, Gillingham, on Christmas Day 1941 – ‘fitted-in’ between Christmas services.

As the war progressed, Percy was deployed around Europe but ‘demobbed’ just as Shorts released Mabel, and they settled into married life.

Percy joined manufacturers CAV while his wife later joined Boots at Chatham where she remained for 28 years.

In the 1950s Percy set up his own engineering company but sadly died in 1979 and Mabel retired a year later.

They had no children, but the centenarian had become a favourite ‘aunt’ for many local children which she feels compensated for not having her own.

Her craft skills were well-honed, so with sister Sybil she began to create and sell items raising funds for cancer charities.

However, just a few years later Sybil was herself victim to the disease, but Mabel continued their work and over the past 30 years has raised nearly £60,000 for charities.

In good health – despite a minor heart attack in 1997 – her doctors can’t find anything wrong with her, although she admits her feet "aren’t what they were".

A driver since she was 16, she stopped motoring a few months ago – not because of an accident as she an unblemished record or criticisms about ‘old drivers’, but insurance premiums "are outrageous". She has now settled for a mobility scooter to get around.

As a young woman she enjoyed a drink but just ‘gave it up’ around the time she married and opted for cigarettes.

She said: "I smoked like a chimney but about 30 years ago I just stopped – and I’ve no idea why."

Mabel doesn’t look, feel or act as people expect someone of her age to, and even organised her own party – for 100 guests.

As for the reason of her longevity, she has no doubts: "I was naughty in my youth."

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