When Monica Scott was 93 she flew off on a girls’ trip to South Africa with two others aged 50 and 70.

An adventurous and independent spirit, her age has always seemed an irrelevance. When she turned 100 on Saturday, March 31, surrounded by her family and many friends - both two and four-legged - she wondered what all the fuss was about since she hadn’t done much to achieve these numbers. Everyone who celebrated with her disagreed. Hospitable, fun, generous to a fault and genuinely interested in others, her life has been filled with love and sustained by friendships old and new.

Monica was born and grew up in Bristol where her father was vicar of All Hallows’ Church Easton, and moved to Askwith when she married her husband, Peter in 1973. They travelled the world together until Peter’s death in 2014 but were always happy to come home to Askwith and their beloved dogs, Nutmeg, Peppa, Bassett, Saffy and Mystie.