Worthing lunch club celebrates 100th birthday of long-standing member and Scrabble queen

Peggy Smith attends weekly, enjoying a meal with friends and an afternoon of games, where she is known as the queen of Scrabble.

It was at the church nearly 28 years ago that Peggy married the love of her life, having met up with her childhood sweetheart again after nearly 50 years apart.

Peggy was born in Rochester on December 8, 1923, and started school at the same time as Theo Smith. They remained friends and childhood sweethearts throughout their school days and the war years.

After school, Peggy got a job as secretary to the manager at Short Brothers, where flying boats were made.

She recalled: "They used to take off from the Medway. Oh, they were lovely things. I had a ride in one. You had to get a little boat out to where it was moored. Another secretary and myself, we went up together and I can remember us both giggling."

In 1948, Peggy moved to Canada and she and Theo, who was serving in the Army, went their separate ways.

Peggy then lived in Scotland for a while, ran a village shop in Derbyshire and retired to Cheltenham – and it was there that she met Theo again.

Speaking to the Herald when they were married at Offington Park Methodist Church in January 1996 at the age of 72, Peggy said: "Neither of us can remember why we went our separate ways.

"We met up again, when I was a widow and Theo a widower, at a mutal friend's party whom we'd also known at school. It was absolutely fantastic. We just picked up the conversation where we left it in 1948."

Theo's home was in Worthing but they continued to meet and finally decided to stop travelling between West Sussex and Gloucestershire and get married. It was then that Peggy moved to Worthing, acquiring an instant family with Theo's two daughters, step-daughter and three grandchildren.

Asked if a regular exercise routine was the secret of her good health and longevity, Peggy laughed and said 'no, none of that nonsense' but she added that she had always loved gardening and that had kept her fit. She also used to go out regularly with a walking group.

Another great love has been the theatre, since she was a young woman. Peggy said there had a big dramatic society at the factory where she worked and she remembered starring in Peg O' My Heart.

Peggy chose a pork roast for the Tuesday Lunch & Social Club birthday meal and will be celebrating again with all her family at The Cricketers in Broadwater.