A life of art and royalty keeps Maud, 100, healthy

Maud Allen, of Dell Drive, turned 100 in March, and has been spent much of her life drawing, painting and sewing.

But having reached her impressive milestone, she wanted to see if she still had the skills to draw life-like pictures using only her pencil – a feat which she was not confident she could still achieve.

She said: “I wanted to see if I had lost my touch and see if I could still do it. It was a challenge, really.”

Maud chose to draw the newest royal, Prince George. She painstaking recreated two pictures of the tot from photos printed in the Daily Mail.

But it wasn’t the first time she had taken on a royal portrait of sorts – or even the first time she had had something to do with the Royal Family.

During her lifetime, she has received no less than four congratulatory letters from the Queen – three for her 70th, 71st and 72nd wedding anniversaries to her late husband, John, and then one for her 100th birthday earlier this year.

She also attempted to recreate a portrait of the nation’s monarch some 30 years ago.

“I just absolutely love drawing,” she added.

But Maud’s artistic flair is not the only talent that she uses to impress friends – she also has an incredible memory.

“I like to keep on top of things and keep my mind active,” she said. “I do the code word in the Daily Mail and I can even remember all the digits of my National Insurance.”

Maud has two adult children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.