A former Twickenham stalwart has extra reason to celebrate turning 109 - she is also the oldest woman in Scotland.
Irene Chapman, who has lived at a care home in Fort Augustus for the past three years, celebrates her birthday today.
She made the move to the Highlands in 1976 after a brief interlude in Sussex after moving from Twickenham in 1966.
Born at Thornton Lodge on Twickenham Green, as the third of four children, Irene comes from a strong background of Twickenham tradition.
Her grandfather Alfred Chapman opened a dairy on the green when he first moved to the town in the 1880s before opening Percy Chapman and Son, which survives to this day.
As a woman of religious faith, Irene became an active member of St Stephen’s Church, in Richmond Road, where she played the organ and sang in the choir.
However, her time in Twickenham came to an end after a holiday to Scotland when Irene and her friends decided to move to Fort William, to serve God in the Highlands.
They lived the next 36 years as part of the community before failing health meant she had to move into the care home.
Irene is now the oldest woman in Scotland and ranks 25th on the list of oldest Englishwomen.
To celebrate the big day, she will be visited by the Lord Lieutenant of Inverness, who will deliver her a special birthday card from the Queen.
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