PORLOCK centenarian Vera Wright proves age is only a number.

Vera, who has just celebrated her 100th birthday, is a keen walker and believes the key to a long life is a good diet and exercise.

The pensioner marked the occasion with close friends at Healeys, a sheltered scheme Magna West Somerset runs in the village.

Tony Murray, Magna’s director, presented Vera with a bouquet and said: “Vera is an example to us all – she is so active and can still be seen enjoying her walks around Porlock.

“It has been a privilege to spend time with Vera and celebrate her birthday.”

Vera was born in Ripon, North Yorkshire, and moved to Porlock in the 1970s with her late husband, Charles, who had family connections in the area.

After spending most of|her early life in County Durham, Vera trained for a career in nursing, which led her to become a hospital matron.

The role took her on adventures working abroad in Kenya and Ethiopia.