A LIFELONG villager whose family took in evacuees during the Second World War is celebrating her 90th birthday today.

Friends and family have tried to make Mavis Blake's milestone birthday as special as possible, despite coronavirus restrictions.

Mrs Blake, who was born Mavis Ethel Cherry on November 2, 1930, and raised in Bletchingdon, was going to have a party organised by her family to celebrate, but due to the pandemic it was cancelled.

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Instead, photos and memories from friends and family have been collected to make a memory book.

Members of the village have also posted photos and birthday wishes in a Facebook group that her family plan to show her today.

Mrs Blake is said to be the oldest woman in Bletchingdon and has lived in the village her whole life in different houses as a child, a newly wed and when raising her own family.

Her oldest granddaughter, Sam Blake, 43, from Kidlington, said: "Mavis is a loving, generous person. So many people have reached out to us to be included in her celebrations in some way so we have made a book to present to her.

Oxford Mail:

"Because the party would have been the first time all of her ten great-grandchildren would be together, we have made a collage of photos to have all of the family in one place."

During the Second World War, despite Mrs Blake's family living in a small cottage in the village, they took in evacuees who after the war made homes and started families in the parish.

A member of one of those families, villager Sue Hazell, said: "Happy birthday Mavis. If it were not for your family taking in evacuees, I would not be here wishing you a fabulous day."

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Mrs Blake is the youngest of eight children. She had four brothers and three sisters.

She married Desmond Blake in 1948 and they were together for 56 years until he passed away in 2004.

She has three children, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Oxford Mail:

Ms Blake said: "She has always encouraged her children and grandchildren to live their own lives without criticism. Some of her granddaughters have a saying they use when trying to solve a dilemma.

"We say 'what would Granny Mavis do'. It has caught on amongst our friends."

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Her 39-year-old granddaughter Kelly Blake, from Kidlington, said: "Granny is always thinking about how she can help us. She often cuts out articles from magazines and newspapers that she thinks will interest us.

"A few years ago when I was single she kept sending me information about internet dating."

Oxford Mail:

Her grandchildren remember her taking them to see the Chippendales at the New Theatre in Oxford in 1998 and say she has seen Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, English singer-songwriter, and guitarist Richard Thompson and Greek-Egyptian vocalist and performer Demis Roussos at the New Theatre as well.

She has loved seeing War Horse, Chicago, and four-piece British vocal group G4 in concert in more recent years.