Born in Winnipeg, Canada, but a Harpenden resident for 56 years, Georgina Jeffery celebrated her 90th birthday with a party alongside her family and friends.

Ninety guests attended celebrations at the town’s United Reformed Church hall on Saturday, March 8.

Guests included Mrs Jeffery’s sons Charles and James who, with their families, who had travelled from their homes in the Vancouver area of Canada, to join Mrs Jeffery’s other son Peter and her daughter Mary-Ann.

Five of her nine grandchildren and one of her two great-grandchildren also made it to the party.   

Mrs Jeffery met her late husband Ken during the World War Two, when he was serving with the RAF and was posted to Canada.  He returned to the UK with his Canadian bride in 1948. They lived initially in the Pimlico area of London before eventually settling in Harpenden.

The Salisbury Avenue resident lost no time in immersing herself in local volunteer organisations, helping to run the 3rd Harpenden Scouts. Her involvement notably included making costumes for the widely-acclaimed Gang Shows in the town’s Public Hall.  

As well as this she was active in parent-teacher activities at Roundwood School, typically manning jumble sale ‘white elephant’ stalls. A keen volunteer she also became involved as one of the first volunteer helpers for Harpenden Helping Hand and in the community work of the Congregational (now United Reformed) church and with the MenCap organisation.   

Widowed in 1991, Mrs Jeffery has become a familiar face to customers of the MenCap charity shop in Grove Road, Harpenden, where she continues as a weekly volunteer helper.