Surprise party for 100-year-old Chesterfield great-gran who credits hard work and staying positive for long life

Margaret Woods, a lifelong resident of New Whittington,celebrated her centenary with more than 100 guests at St Barnabas Church Hall yesterday (Sunday).

Chesterfield's mayor and mayoress Councillor Tony Rogers and his wife Sharon, members of the British Legion Riders branch and Nick Johnson, from Chesterfield Football Club, were among the party guests.

The birthday girl received cards from King Charles and TV chef Ainsley Harriott, bouquets of flowers and gifts galore. Cash donations from party guests raised more than £700 for Ashgate Hospice.

Margaret’s daughter, Jen Lindley, said: “The party was fantastic. Everyone clapped when she arrived and we later toasted her with wine and sang Happy Birthday. She was gobsmacked!”

The eldest member in a family of four generations, including her son Stephen, four grandsons and six great-grandchildren, Margaret said that the secret to longevity was: “Always stay positive and always look on the bright side of life.”

She said that the highlights of her 100 years were meeting her husband, Frank: "I loved him until the day he died," and having her children: "They have been a godsend to me.”

Margaret also credited hard work as key to a long life. She worked until she was 80 before taking well-earned retirement.

Born Margaret Timms, she began her life living at South Street North in New Whittington.

Robinsons factory

Her first job after leaving school was at Robinsons factory where she made sanitary towels. Margaret said: "My mum bought me a bike for 19 shillings and six pence and I'd ride to Goyt Side at Brampton - it took about three-quarters of an hour one way. It was hard work at Robinsons and not much money. It was noisy and dusty and on Saturday mornings we'd go in and put a scarf around our heads and waft all the dust off the beams - no wonder we got catarrh and all sorts!"

From Robinsons, she moved to shovel makers Simms on South Street, New Whittington before taking up employment as a cleaner at Scarsdale Hospital's nurses' home.

Margaret then moved to work in retail in Chesterfield town centre, where she was a counter assistant in a handbag shop under the Vic verandah on Knifesmithgate and later at Hart’s wallpaper store on Low Pavement.

At the age of 59 Margaret was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent mastectomy surgery and radiotherapy treatment. She returned to work at Hart’s after recuperation from her operation.

Cleaning jobs

Margaret later took a cleaning job at Masons wholesalers, Whittington Moor, on the site that would become home to the Aquarius nightclub, then spent the rest of her working life cleaning people’s homes. She said: "I've always enjoyed cleaning and I also enjoyed working at Harts wallpaper shop."

Her husband always ensured there was a meal on the table for her when she arrived home from work. She said: "When I came in through the door, I'd shout, 'it's me, Frank, and he would say ‘you've just timed it nice, I'm putting the dinner out’."

Margaret and Frank met as teenagers in Brearley Park, when he was 14 and she was 17. Frank, who lived at Old Whittington, worked in a furnace at Sheepbridge.

They married at St Bartholomew's Church in Old Whittington in 1943 and after living at Margaret's childhood home, the couple moved a few doors down to South Street North where they lived until 1999.

National Service

Shortly after marriage, Frank was called up for National Service and spent three years in the Army. He was later employed as a British Rail car driver transporting people to work. Margaret said: "He would take them from the engine shed at Barrow Hill to Chesterfield railway station."

Frank retired from work at 60 due to a heart attack and survived another 25 years, before passing away in 2005.

Margaret's faith has been important to her all of her life. She attended St Barnabas Church for many years and when she was younger would make peg bags and aprons which she sold in aid of the church.

At the age of 98 kind-hearted Margaret knitted dozens of squares to be sewn into blankets for children in Gambia when she couldn’t leave the house because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

A long-standing member of the Royal British Legion, Margaret has continually supported charity events and galas in the Whittington community.

In her younger years Margaret was a keen traveller. Frank and she enjoyed visiting Canada, Austria and Germany and had many holidays in the UK.

Among Margaret's happy memories are going for a helicopter ride to celebrate her 90th birthday, which was a treat from her grandsons, and a surprise trip on the London Eye a decade earlier which was organised by her grandson Andrew.

Nowadays she enjoys going out for a meal and watching Coronation Street and Ainsley Harriott on the television.