A WOMAN from Dunmow is celebrating her 100th birthday this weekend by asking all the people buying her presents to donate the money to a cancer charity instead. Ivy Hahn, lives in Grove Court, in Nursery Rise, and celebrates her centenary this Saturday. S

A WOMAN from Dunmow is celebrating her 100th birthday this weekend by asking all the people buying her presents to donate the money to a cancer charity instead.

Ivy Hahn, lives in Grove Court, in Nursery Rise, and celebrates her centenary this Saturday. She decided to ask people to make the donation after learning about the work of Together in West Essex from charity co-founder Symone White.

"Ivy is such a kind lady to do this," said Mrs White, manager of Grove Court. "She knows about the charity and what we do. She didn't want presents and decided to get people to donate the money they would have spent instead."

All of the money raised will go to the cancer research unit at St Margaret's Hospital, Epping under the guidance of associate breast specialist Ashraf Patel.

Born in Harwich, Ivy was one of seven children and went to the local school and lived at home until she moved to London to go into service where she lived with her eldest brother, Burt.

It was at this time that she met her good friend Ivy Tweed and they often went out dancing together. It was at one such dance that she met her future husband, Robert Kelly.

They married, and in 1935 had a son, who they named Robert.

Sadly, Robert senior died from Leukaemia, aged just 33, leaving Ivy to bring up Robert. It was then she started work at the Every Ready factory in Dagenham.

"Mum was an excellent cook," said Robert. "It seems that, when I was young, she always seemed to be going to the shops to buy one thing or another. She made lovely cakes, especially sponges and fairy cakes."

Ivy remarried in 1963, to Bill Hahn. It was a union that expanded her family somewhat as Bill had three children of his own and three step-children (three boys, three girls).

"We were all of around the same age," explained Robert. "By that time, most of us had left home and only Derek came to live with them. I'd got married the month before.

"We all get on very well and enjoy each others company very much."

Bill passed away in November 1999 and three years later she left her home in Dagenham and moved to Latimer House in Springfield.

Four years later, she was on the move again, to her home at Grove Court where she says she is very happy and compares it to a five-star hotel.

Throughout her life, Ivy has loved reading, especially novels about love, adventure with a bit of history thrown in. She still enjoys a good book and is a regular visitor to Dunmow library where she takes out audio books on cassette, CD and DVD.

Friends and family will be holding a birthday party for Ivy at her home on Saturday night.