HASLEMERE centenarian Dorothy ‘Dodo’ Pow marked an extraordinary birthday when she turned 105 years old.

Mrs Pow, who now lives at Redcot care home in Haslemere, was joined by her family to celebrate her big day on May 19.

The mother of two, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of 10 has led a charmed life, defying her doctors, who predicted she would die within a year when she was aged 12.

Her daughter Liz said: “The doctors said she wouldn’t live long, but mummy’s proved them wrong.

“She contracted a heart disease when she was 12 and had to spend a year in a darkened room. But she survived that, despite the odds.

“That wasn’t the first time she had a brush with disaster – mummy grabbed a kitchen range grid when she was two and badly burned both her hands.

“Her mother massaged them twice a day for months to help her heal and also made splints to make sure her hands grew straight.

“She was so successful that mummy ended up being an accomplished piano player and worked as a physiotherapist.”

Before settling in Haslemere, Mrs Pow travelled the world and met her husband, a banker, in the Far East just before the Second World War.

Her husband joined the Indian army in 1941 and the family followed him in a trade ship. The couple lived in Singapore, Malaya, Shanghai, and Calcutta, before Mr Pow retired from the bank and they settled in Haslemere.

Few people reach such a milestone age, but Mrs Pow believes the secret to a long life is simple.

She has always followed a careful diet, she barely smoked and never drank much.

She was also a keen skier and yoga practitioner.

Mrs Pow puts her remarkable longevity down to all that – and importantly, a good sense of humour. She has lived at Redcot, which is part of the charity Friends of the Elderly, since 2013.

Care home manager Sharon Fields said: “Dorothy is a wonderful lady with a lovely smile, and we all think the world of her.

“She doesn’t hear well but she’s still very sharp. It’s incredible to think of all the world events she’s lived through and she’s told us some great stories.”