Residents came together at a thanksgiving service this weekend to celebrate the life of Goldhanger's oldest resident, Gwenda Wolstenholme, who died in October aged 96.

Friends, neighbours and village organisations long-supported by Gwenda gathered at St Peter's Church on Saturday (4 December) to share fond memories and their appreciation for the endless support she gave them.

Local historian David Newman said: "The Church was full and the bells rang out.

"There were many memories of Gwenda in Goldhanger and over the years she contributed with extreme generosity - both financially and with her time and energy - to many aspects of village life and supported most, if not all, of the clubs and institutions in the village."

Gwenda is well-known in the community for her tireless dedication to village life, which included her successful fundraising efforts to build a community room at St Peter's Church.

For another fundraiser, she sat in a tent kiosk by the churchyard gate with a roll of wallpaper that had pictures of bricks, and people bought a brick at £5 each to represent building the walls.

The membership of Goldhanger and Little Totham Women's Institute also doubled under Gwenda's committed leadership, and attendees would enjoy her sherry and biscuits long into the evening after each meeting.

She bought two kayaks for Goldhanger Sailing Club to help local children, a self-propelled mower for the church, a marquee which villagers can use with a donation to the church and additional handbells for children.

An avid supporter of all village hall events and activities, Gwenda also organised the first two Goldhanger Open Gardens - a popular event which now takes place every other year.

David, alongside friends and residents Sally Marchant and Margaret Salmon, called Gwenda "one of Goldhanger's most well-known and loved characters".

They said: "She believed in socialism, the best life can offer for the majority and in helping other people, as her father had when she was a child - taking clothes and food to the poor in her village."

Born in 1925 in a mining village near Newcastle, Gwenda was proud of her Northern roots and would often say "you are only a Northerner if you were born north of the Tyne".

One of her brothers was key in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and she named her only son after her other brother, Aiden, who was in the Battle of Britain.

While spending time at the beach in Bamburgh after finishing her degree, Gwenda met her first husband, George, who was convalescing after being released from a prisoner of war camp.

Gwenda was widowed twice and, after George died, she became a maths teacher at underprivileged schools and later worked in Grove Prison for young offenders in Dorset.

She had a genuine affection and concern for the boy's futures and Gwenda's friends said she would often be saddened when, as she walked across the courtyard, a boy would shout from one of the tiny windows: "I'm back, miss!"

They would also tell her: "You teach us maths and we'll teach you how to get into a locked car."

Gwenda originally moved to Head Street in Goldhanger and then later to Church Street with her second husband, ex-civil servant Philip.

David, Sally and Margaret said: "She did not suffer fools gladly, but beneath her brusque exterior she was extremely kind and had a wicked sense of humour.

"She was so proud to be the oldest person in the village and never gave up, even when walking became difficult.

"She would trot up and down Church Street with her Zimmer frame, often with a bus following behind her, then would have a little rest outside the Chequers with a glass of wine, putting the world to rights with anyone who would stop and have a chat.

"She will be really missed."

The thanksgiving service was led by church warden George Bunting, while those gathered sang the hymns Dear Lord and Father of Mankind and Jerusalem.

Claudia McKell sang Make You Feel My Love and Michael McKell sang Amazing Grace, with Clive Roberts on the guitar, after delivering the eulogy.

The Goldhanger Jubilee Choir also performed Only Remembered during the service.