When as a newly married bride aged just 20, Betty Selfe joined the Inner Wheel, she immediately felt at home.

Which is perhaps why 70 years later Betty, of Blue Bell Hill Village, in Chatham, is still a member.

She said: “I’ve enjoyed every single moment and made so many, many friends!”

Founded in November 1923 in Manchester as a social network for the wives of Rotarians, the Inner Wheel has grown to become one of the largest women’s voluntary organisations in the world – and Betty has done more than her fair share to help them on that journey.

When she married her husband Bill, seven years her senior, on September 10, 1953, he was already a member of the Erith Rotary Club.

She joined the Inner Wheel on September 27 that year.

Since then, Betty has held many offices within the organisation. She has been president, secretary and treasurer of two clubs: Erith and Rochester.

Betty is truly an extraordinary lady

She served as the District 12 chairman in 1976 and for nine years she worked as an administrator at HQ with the task of developing the Inner Wheel nationally.

She must have done a pretty good job because it now has branches in 104 countries.

In 2019, she was presented with the organisation’s Margarette Golding Award for outstanding personal service.

Last year, at the age of 89, she once again served as the District 12 chairman, this time sharing the post with three other ladies.

Most recently, Betty, who is still currently the vice-president of the Gravesend Inner Wheel was invited to a meeting of the District 12 Inner Wheels held at Ditton Community Centre where she was presented with a certificate to mark her 70 years of Inner Wheel membership by the District 12 chairman Christine Head-Rapson.

Somehow, Betty has also found the time for many other good causes.

She served as a magistrate for 39 years at Bexley; she was on the Board of Visitors at Belmarsh Prison for 15 years; and she also volunteered at the Medway Maritime Hospital for 17 years.

Her Inner Wheel colleague June Christophi said: “Where on earth she finds the time and energy to participate in all of these activities is a mystery.

“Betty is truly a wonderful, thoughtful, caring and extraordinary lady, such an inspirational Inner Wheel member.

“We all feel truly humbled in her presence.”

Betty’s husband has pre-deceased her, but the couple had two sons, William and Ian, and she is now the proud grandmother of eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.