Inspirational Wearside 100-year-old is a birthday charity champ

Charlotte Deacon, a resident at Keelboat Lodge, in Sunderland, wanted to give something back to the community as she celebrated her 100th year, and decided to do it with a donation to Blind Children UK.

Blind Children UK, formerly NBCS (National Blind Children’s Society), is the leading charity for children and young people with sight loss.

Earlier this month, Miss Deacon hosted a tea party at her home where she invited a representative form the charity and one of their guide dogs along to give them the impressive sum.

Family friend Anne Swales, 72, from Ryhope, said: “When Charlotte turned 100 instead of asking for presents she asked for money which she could donate to charity Blind Children UK.

“She managed to make a £1,000 donation to the charity and presented them with the money by hosting a tea party at her home.”

In her youth Miss Deacon, worked as a nanny before getting a job at an ammunitions factory in Birmingham during the war.

She never married or had children, but remained an active member in the community, and was until recently a regular customer at Morrisons at Doxford Park.

Miss Deacon would be taken by Mrs Swales to shop at the store every week and to mark her 100th birthday Morrisons asked her to open the new-look store on October 20.

Gillian Ridley, the people’s manager at Morrisons in Doxford Park, said she was thrilled Miss Deacon came along to the opening.

She said: “Charlotte has been coming to the store every week for the last 20 years at least, so it was lovely for her to be able to come along to come the new-look store last month, which tied in with her 100th birthday.

“We wanted to have someone who knew the shop and had seen how it looked before and how it looks now.

“It was lovely to have her there and we showed her around all the new departments.”