EIRWEN Roper welcomed guests from Altrincham Society of Artists and Altrincham Unitarian Chapel to a 100th birthday afternoon tea at Altrincham Conservative Club last Friday (February 24).

Alan Laver, Provost of Altrincham, presented her with a silver lion award for her contribution to Altrincham.

Born in Withington on February 24, 1917, her Welsh parents christened her Eirwen.

“I thought if I had children they would have plain names so that they wouldn’t be bullied like I was at the village school in Withington”

Twins John and Robert arrived in 1953, two years after she had married prominent solicitor Richard Roper.

They lived in a purpose built house in Hale Barns before moving to Sylvan Grove, Altrincham.

During the 70s, Richard was chairman and president of Altrincham Conservative Club.

When Richard died in 1985, Eirwen moved to Bowdon and then, 20 years ago, to Regent Road. Altrincham

A talented artist, she left Ducie High School aged 15 to take up a scholarship at Manchester College of Art

A successful career in fabric design followed.

She joined Altrincham Society of Artists at a recruitment meeting at St Margaret’s Institute in the early 1950s.

It was Eirwen who found them their current headquarters in Altrincham Unitarian Chapel, eventually becoming an instructor.

During the war when working as a stock controller at Fairy Aviation, she had two accidents.

“The gong would go for lunch and you had to run to get a place in the queue. One day a sheet of steel was sticking out and I ran into it hurting my leg. The company nurses looked after it.”

Another time metal filings were accidentally sprayed into her eye. Again, the nurses came to the rescue.

Smartly dressed, straight backed and with a lively intellect, she is now looking forward to her 110th birthday.