ONE of Britain s oldest women, Lucy Pollard, who spent most of her life in Soham, has died just six weeks before her 107th birthday. Great great great grandmother, Lucy, was born just before the death of Queen Victoria and had lived in the town since she

ONE of Britain's oldest women, Lucy Pollard, who spent most of her life in Soham, has died just six weeks before her 107th birthday.

Great great great grandmother, Lucy, was born just before the death of Queen Victoria and had lived in the town since she was 18.

At the grand age of 88 she learnt to drive an electric car with tuition from the church curate at the time who was Richard Cross.

She played bowls for the county and was well-known in Soham as a member of the Mothers' Union committee, Red Cross, a regular at St Andrew's Church and a dinner lady at the former Soham Junior School.

Lucy, who was born in Lidgate, Suffolk, helped her parents run the town's White Hart pub before meeting and marrying flour mill worker, Joseph West in 1922.

The couple lived in Mereside and had three daughters, Kathleen, Olga and Audrey.

Sadly Kathleen and Audrey died, both at the age of 56, from cancer. But Olga still lives in the family home at the age of 81.

Lucy's husband died in 1956 and six years later she met and married retired farmer, Ernie Pollard. He died in 1985.

She had four great grandchildren, six great great grandchildren and one great great great granddaughter who is just three years old.

Olga said: "As a mother Lucy was lovely. She would do anything to make us happy. I have happy memories of friends from schooldays being invited round to the house and we would play games. We would also have all the different relations coming over for the day.

"She was pleasant and very well-liked. She used to drive miles in her electric car and give me a heart attack worrying about her."

Lucy eventually went to live in Soham's Keith Leonard House and 12 years ago, after suffering a stroke, moved to Bottisham's Hilton Park Care Centre where she died.

Her funeral service took place at Cambridge City Crematorium yesterday (Wednesday).