AN ALTRUISTIC 100-year-old chose to forgo gifts on her milestone birthday – instead asking for donations towards a new sign directing visitors at the residential home where she lives.

Sprightly Freda Pearmine, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday, asked for contributions to the signpost which shows where groups of houses are situated in the privately- owned Wakeford Court, in Silchester Road, Pamber Heath.

Her nephew Charles Pearmine, who is her closest relative, said: “It’s not easy for older people who are visiting to see exactly where they need to go with the way the place is laid out.

“If an ambulance was needed, the sign will make it a lot easier for them to find where they need to be.”

Freda officially unveiled the sign on her big day.

Freda, who never married, grew up in Gilling-ham, Kent, with two younger sisters and a younger brother.

She later spent 15 years in Kingston-upon-Thames and many years in Worth-ing, and, during the Second World War, worked as a telephonist in a guns operating room.

She moved to Pamber Heath in 1996, following the deaths of both of her parents, to be closer to Charles, his wife and their four children.

She now attends several social clubs and spends time with Charles and his family.

As a keen fan of sports, she loves watching football and supports Gillingham and Millwall football clubs.

She said she loved watching the London 2012 Olympic Games and remembers following the 1948 London Olympics on the radio.

Speaking of her life in Pamber Heath, Freda said: “I’ve made a lot of friends here – I’m always busy.”

When asked about the secret to a long life, she said: “I think I have got a lot of patience and I don’t lose my temper.” She added that remaining single “may help”.